Victor Robles makes mind-blowing baserunning gaffe as Mariners routed by Yankees

I think this might be the worst case of a writing jinx that I have doled out so far. Tuesday, I wrote about how Victor Robles was a massive threat on the bases, going 25-25 on SB attempts up to that point, and actually leading baseball in steals over the previous 30 days. I even mentioned that it likely was jinxing him. If I could take the article back to undo his baserunning gaffe from the series opener against the Yankees, I would.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the first, the Mariners were staging a rally against Luis Gil as he struggled to find the strike zone. He had hit Robles with the first pitch of the game, Julio had a full count fly out, Raleigh and Arozarena both walked, and Raley had flown out as well. The bases were loaded with two outs, and Justin Turner was up.

Victor Robles stunned with a boneheaded baserunning gaffe

After working a 3-0 count, Gil was trying to re-focus on the mound, looking down at the Rosin Bag as he gathered his thoughts and tried to regain control to avoid the bases loaded walk. Have no fear, Yankees fans, as Victor Robles decided to help him out by trying a clever move at one of the dumbest times possible.

Look. What Victor Robles did, at any other time of the game, would have been a smart play. Gil was all over the place, not paying attention at that time, and he got a good jump. If not for a literal off-balance perfect throw from Gil, Robles would be safe.

You also know how Robles could've been safe at home? By standing there like you are supposed to, watching Gil walk Turner on one of the next couple of pitches and then strolling home without a care in the world after watching ball four.

We have been talking about how the Mariners can't afford to give games away. Against the Yankees, who have a nasty offense with Judge and Soto, you can't have boneheaded mistakes. No Leon Lett occurrences. Yes, the Yankees ended up scoring 11 in the game, but we know how the butterfly effect works. If the Mariners see Turner walk... does Polanco still hit a homer? Do the Mariners turn this into a rally with Gil struggling to find the zone and put the Yankees on their heels?

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but the gaffe by Robles in the first set the Mariners well behind a team that's better than them, and it's just too hard to overcome that. The Mariners, and Robles, have to be better to finish out the season if they want to make a push for the playoffs as the odds grow slimmer by the day.