MIAMI -- It's safe to say Maikel Franco has no future in the umpiring business.
In the sixth inning of the Phillies' 2-0 loss to the Marlins on Saturday afternoon, Franco did something you rarely see -- he tossed a live ball into the seats.
With two outs in the sixth, Starlin Castro chopped an Aaron Nola changeup down the third-base line. It was a borderline play, tough to tell if it was a fair ball staying right above the chalk, or if it had leaked just foul.
Third-base umpire Sean Barber emphatically made the call, though, indicating the ball was fair. Franco, however, who clearly thought it was foul, flipped the ball into the field-level seats.
The third baseman, as soon as he turned and realized the ball was fair, threw his hands up in confusion.
Meanwhile, Castro advanced to second base on the two-base error. He was stranded in scoring position a few moments later on a pop fly to second base from Martin Prado.