The first half of the 2016 Major League Baseball season is coming to a close, and while there have been surprises and disappointments, nothing can be more embarrassing for a professional ballplayer than being part of a nightly blooper reel.
During the past three-plus months, viewers have been treated to a variety of gaffes, goofs, and other misfortunes.
Here are some of the best bloopers of the season thus far:
Trout follows Altuve's lead with base-running blunder
Jose Altuve and Mike Trout are both making MVP cases for themselves with nearly half of the season complete, but the pair lacked the grace of the game's best players this past June with a couple of base-running mistakes that looked oddly similar.
Lindor comically dives for ball stuck in catwalk
The dreaded catwalk at Tropicana Field, which has been responsible for a number of odd blunders during the stadium's history, may have created its best goof on April 13. To his credit, Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor was mostly responsible for generating the laughs when he pretended to dive for a ball that wasn't there.
Molina supplies Cardinals teammates with helping hand
Yadier Molina's cat-like reflexes have helped the 33-year-old backstop earn eight Gold Glove awards over his career and they certainly came in handy on May 26 against the Washington Nationals, when he saved the behinds of shortstop Aledmys Diaz and pitcher Mike Leake.
Span's butterfingers gift Lowrie with Little League HR
Jed Lowrie wasn't going to break any land-speed records on April 2 when he hit a Little League home run against the San Francisco Giants. Fortunately for the Oakland Athletics infielder, he had Denard Span's clumsiness on his side.
Perez nearly tackles umpire
Salvador Perez is 240 pounds of Venezuelan beef behind home plate for the Royals, so when he runs into something, it's likely going to move pretty far. Umpire Mike Everitt experienced this firsthand June 30 when he was practically tackled by Perez.
Alex Presley nearly trampled by sausage race
Alex Presley's life may have flashed before his eyes on June 9, and what a terrible way to go it would've been. The Brewers outfielder was nearly trampled by several racing wiener mascots during a race at Miller Park.
Rain makes its way inside Rogers Centre
Someone forgot to check the weather in Toronto as the Blue Jays and Royals were surprised by rain inside the domed Rogers Centre on July 6 while the building's retractable roof was open.
Cardinals 3rd base coach interferes in bizarre play
Cardinals third base coach Chris Maloney was almost responsible for taking out both the opposition and one of his own players with his flailing body during a rundown against the Philadelphia Phillies in May.
(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)
