Mets hurt by bizarre glove-toss out that might not have even been an out by Angels

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May 4, 2026 - 12:38

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Mets hurt by bizarre glove-toss out that might not have even been an out by Angels originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The reality is that the Los Angeles Angels didn't do anything wrong here.

It's still really hard to tell on the replay whether Juan Soto should actually be out, though.

It seemed a simple enough out when Soto grounded the ball to first base on Sunday, but the ball got stuck in Nolan Schanuel's glove.

At first, he thought he could get to the bag himself, but then he decided he wouldn't be in time. So he tossed his whole mitt, with the ball in it, to pitcher Jack Kochanowicz covering the bag.

Nothing is inherently against the rules here. If Kochanowicz catches the mitt, that has the ball in it, while standing on the base before Soto gets there, it's an out.

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But matters get more complicated. Kochanowicz bobbles the glove.

When does he actually have control of the mitt and ball that aren't his own?

Soto thinks he's safe, and watching it back a few times, it sure seems he might be.

The Mets didn't challenge the play, though.

Have a look for yourself:

Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel throws his glove to pitcher Jack Kochanowicz at first base to get the out pic.twitter.com/SbWtb397hZ— SNY (@SNYtv) May 3, 2026

As a neutral baseball observer, it's definitely a fun one. These plays have happened before, but they're quite rare.

This one has the added layer of that bobbling catch, making the umpire's job even tougher.

In the end, the Mets won the game 5-1, so this play didn't really matter, but it's still a goofy one.