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SMOOTH OPERATOR: Pirates' Rodolfo Castro shocks fans as phone shoots out of back pocket mid-slide

To avoid the throw, Rodolfo Castro slid headfirst into the bag, and the impact sent his phone flying from his back pocket and onto the ground

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Pittsburgh infielder Rodolfo Castro's phone flew from his back pocket and hit the ground while he slid into third base in the fifth inning when the Pittsburgh Pirates played the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, August 9. "You stay around the game and you see things you haven't seen before,'' Pirates manager Derek Shelton told Pittsburgh media members. "This was just a kid who made a mistake. It's just one of those things we move forward from and tell him, 'You can't do that.'''

Castro, 23, had to sprint to third base after teammate Oneil Cruz hit a single into center field, and as he slid in headfirst, his cell phone fell out of his left back pocket. Castro didn't seem to notice at first and nearly stepped on it as he helped himself back to his feet. However, Umpire Adam Hamari seemed to point out to Castro that his phone was on the floor. 

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Castro took the phone and handed it to Pirate's third base coach Mike Rebelo, who looked annoyed before taking it. "As Castro slides into third, his phone falls out of his pocket - now that's a first,'' the game's announcers said, laughing. ''And there's Adam Hamari," they joked, "dude your phone is down, right there.''

Castro was in action on Tuesday after being recalled from the Indianapolis Indians' Triple-A affiliate. Prior to the game, Shelton said of Castro, ''He's been swinging the bat really well vs left-handed pitching, so an opportunity to get him back.'' ''That was something that stood out to me. He'd been down there, playing with energy and a variety of things we'd challenged him on,'' he added, according to ESPN. The Pirates eventually lost the game 6-4.

Videos of the incident quickly made their way to Twitter. Sports director Bob Pompeani shared the video and wrote, "Why does Rodolfo Castro have a phone in his back pocket while running the bases??? I’ve never seen that before." Meanwhile, journalist Alex Stumpf shared the explanation Castro gave. He wrote, "Derek Shelton pointed out that Castro always has his sliding pad/oven mitt, so he probably didn't know he had it. No intent on Castro's part to use his phone in-game."

Journalist Mike Persak wrote, "Rodolfo Castro’s explanation for the phone ordeal is that he didn’t know his phone was in his pocket. Had forgotten it was there & didn’t feel it b/c he always has his sliding mitt in his back left pocket. Expressed embarrassment postgame after becoming the center of attention."

BetRivers Sportsbook wrote, "Rodolfo Castro is an inspiration to all of us who cannot go anywhere without our phone".