Marlins' Ronny Simon grateful for support after teary, 3-error game: ‘I just try to keep working hard'

New York Times

28-05-2025

SAN DIEGO — Until Tuesday night, Ronny Simon was a relatively anonymous second baseman who had traveled a winding road in professional baseball.
He signed with the Chicago Cubs for $10,000 in 2018, was traded twice in the span of a year, signed a minor-league contract in November, and last month, reached the majors with the Miami Marlins. Then, in his 19th big-league game, he attracted widespread attention with a disastrous defensive effort and his response to the disappointment.
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After supplying an RBI single in a six-run first inning for the Marlins, Simon committed three errors over the next three innings, unintentionally helping the San Diego Padres rally to an 8-6 win at Petco Park. In the bottom of the fourth, the rookie shed tears. When the inning ended, Simon jogged off the field, out of the game and into the visiting clubhouse as teammates and coaches tried to console him.
On Wednesday, Simon addressed the worst performance of his young career. It prompted a wave of encouragement, including a phone call from eight-time All-Star second baseman Robinson Canó and text messages from Luis Castillo, the most decorated second baseman in Marlins history.
'Right now, I feel really supported from everybody,' Simon, 25, said before the Marlins' series finale against the Padres. 'It's amazing. I know the only thing I can do is the same thing. Work hard. It doesn't matter what happened over there. Just keep your head up. Help my team. And that's going to happen in the game.'
Simon's struggles began in the second inning on Tuesday. He dove for a grounder, the ball deflected off his glove for an RBI single, and after he retrieved it, he made an errant throw toward home plate, allowing another run to score.
In the top of the third, Simon hit a long fly out to the warning track in center field. His misfortune continued in the bottom of the inning, as Simon whiffed on a ground ball while Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill ran in front of Simon on his way to second base. The misplay was initially ruled as another error, but the official scorer later changed it to an RBI single for Xander Bogaerts.
The bottom of the fourth brought more trouble and an outpouring of emotion. Another routine grounder skipped off Simon's glove, resulting in his second error. The next batter sent another ball Simon's way. This time, instead of starting a potential double play, he flipped the ball well over second base.
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Later that inning, after former Marlins infielder Luis Arráez delivered an RBI single to tie the game 6-6, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough went to the mound to chat with Simon, who was crying by then. Javier Sanoja moved from shortstop to second base to replace Simon in the fifth.
'Things just started to kind of snowball a little bit,' McCullough said after the game. 'It was tough. And (we) just thought, for us and him, just in that moment, making the change there was prudent just with kind of how things had transpired.'
After a brutal sequence of defensive mistakes, Ronny Simon is out of the game in the bottom of the 5th inning pic.twitter.com/P5BhYV94Nb
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) May 28, 2025
The next morning, Simon expressed gratitude for the support he received from inside and outside his clubhouse. Arráez, Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. and San Diego third baseman Manny Machado had texted him, he said. Tatis publicly supported Simon after Tuesday's game, calling him a 'great player.' The two first met playing winter ball against each other in their native Dominican Republic.
'It happens. It's baseball,' Tatis said. 'Everybody who has won a Gold Glove or Platinum Glove has had one of those nights.'
Machado, who has won two Gold Gloves and a Platinum Glove, had one of those nights just last week. For the first time in his career, in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, he committed three errors in one inning.
'I know he's the best defender at third base right now,' Simon said. 'If he made three errors, I'm just going to keep working hard, but that's going to happen again. A lot of emotion yesterday because the game is important. … I feel bad and sad for that one, but that's going to happen in the game. I just try to keep working hard every day, just going to the field and trying (to) be better every day.
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'A lot of people told me … that's in the past. Turn the page, and tomorrow is another day. Just keep shining. I'm always happy. I'm trying to help my team. I'm going to enjoy the game and have fun.'
Late Tuesday, Merrill offered a similar scouting report.
'He's a funny dude. Good energy. Smiling always,' said Merrill, who played against Simon in the Arizona Fall League in 2022. 'He smashed that ball to center, too. I think he hit it, like, 106 (mph). Just an unlucky night.'