NEW YORK — It’s hard to say there was one defining play in the White Sox’ 12-2 loss Tuesday to the Yankees. Bad baseball was prevalent in the Bronx.
But one play should be concerning for the Sox because it has happened before and probably will happen again. That’s just the nature of the situation, and right-hander Davis Martin was the victim again.
With the score tied 1-1 in the third inning and Yankees No. 8 hitter J.C. Escarra on second with a leadoff double, Anthony Volpe grounded to second baseman Chase Meidroth. But rookie first baseman Jacob Gonzalez — who has played more games at first for the Sox (13) than he did in college and the minors combined (six) — strayed too far from the bag, allowing Volpe to reach.
After Ben Rice walked to load the bases, Cody Bellinger hit a two-run single. Paul Goldschmidt struck out, but Jazz Chisholm walked to load the bases again before Martin walked Spencer Jones for another run. Jose Caballero’s sacrifice fly brought home the fourth run of the inning.
Things got worse in the fourth. Rice and Goldschmidt hit two-run home runs, and the rout was on.
‘‘I thought [the ball] was going to get through, so I went to cut off [the throw] home,’’ Gonzalez said. ‘‘I should’ve went to the base first, then the cutoff. I feel really bad. It’s never going to happen again.’’
The problem is, Gonzalez said something very similar after a mistake June 2 against the Twins. He broke to field a ball that was bunted back to Martin instead of retreating to the bag. When Martin fielded it, Gonzalez didn’t get back to the base in time, and the batter reached, helping to spark a Twins comeback.
Said Gonzalez then: ‘‘I know I should’ve gone to the base first and turned around, but [Davis] was looking at me already; I’ll just catch it and touch the base as I’m catching it. And I just wasn’t where I was supposed to be. . . . Hopefully it never happens again.’’
And here we are.
This isn’t to pick on a rookie playing a new position. In college and the minors, Gonzalez primarily played shortstop. That’s a popular position from which general managers, including the Sox’ Chris Getz, move players elsewhere. It’s a sound strategy because shortstops often are the most talented players on the field and can play anywhere.
But it takes time to learn a new position. And as former Athletics coach Ron Washington’s character said in the movie ‘‘Moneyball’’ when told by former GM Billy Beane’s character that playing first base wasn’t hard, ‘‘It’s incredibly hard.’’
‘‘Negotiating that ball to his right is something that we talked about early that can be difficult when you’re deciding to go for it or not,’’ manager Will Venable said. ‘‘Haven’t seen that one where Chase had that ball and [Gonzalez] thought it would’ve gone through, so [it’s a] learning experience. Probably won’t do that again.’’
The Sox can hope.
When asked about the play, Martin was a good teammate, saying, ‘‘Guys are going to pick me up; I have to pick them up.’’ He did prolong the inning himself with two walks, but he had some help.
‘‘The first two innings, outside of one pitch [a home run by Jones], felt really good,’’ said Martin, who entered the game with the sixth-best ERA in the majors at 2.41 but left with it at 3.31. ‘‘Things unraveled pretty quickly. Losing the zone is my biggest frustration of tonight. Can’t get nitpicky there in the third and fourth.’’
With first baseman Munetaka Murakami out for about another month, Gonzalez figures to stay there. With the Sox competing for a playoff spot, his mistakes will be more magnified. Granted, the position was new to Murakami, too, but he still leads the team with 20 homers. The Sox will pick their battles.
We’ll see how long they keep fighting this one.