Nick Markakis played his 392nd consecutive game in the outfield without an error Wednesday to match a major league record, but the Braves veteran didn’t see it as any cause for celebration.
““I’m just doing my job, doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” Markakis said Thursday afternoon. “Catch the ball, throw the ball, hit your cutoff man, don’t try to do anything out of the ordinary.”
Markakis tied a record set by Darren Lewis, who played 392 games in the outfield without an error during the 1990-1994 seasons. Markakis could break the record with an errorless game Thursday night against the Red Sox.
A Woodstock High School graduate, Markakis, 31, signed a four-year, $44 million free-agent contract with the Braves last winter after spending his first nine seasons with the Orioles. He won his second American League Gold Glove in 2014.
He learned from others early in his career the proper way to go about playing the outfield — to play to his strengths, be fundamentally sound, and not try to be something he’s not.
“As you get older and experienced, it’s not about diving for the ball and trying to make spectacular catches,” Markakis said. “In certain situations, there’s a time and place for that. But I would say you’ve got to secure the ball first, make accurate throws, hit your cutoff man, do all the right things.”
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