Baltimore Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser threw the ball from the final out of a 9-7 win over the Kansas City Royals into the Kauffman Stadium fountains. About two minutes later, he realized he might have made a mistake.
Craig Kimbrel had gotten his 422nd save Saturday night, tying Billy Wagner for seventh on the career list.
"Right when I threw it I said, 'Craig has a lot of saves, that one might be important,'" Cowser recalled.
Cowser, who entered as a replacement when Austin Hays' calf tightened, had caught Salvador Perez's fly in front of the warning track. When Cowser realized what he had done, he ran back onto the field and searched.
"There were two balls in the fountains, and the other one was really old," he said.
Kimbrel, 35, has five saves in six chances this season, and the nine-time All-Star has allowed just one run in nine innings.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde knew Kimbrel needed that ball and faulted the 24-year-old rookie.
"I guess Cow just threw the ball into the stands," Hyde said. "We've got to have a little more awareness out in left field when you catch that, when the guy on the mound is that high in saves."
For his part, Cowser said he learned his lesson.
"Every time I catch the ball and it's a last out from him now, it's staying in the glove," he said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.