Watch: Cubs outfielder damages wall while making incredible home run robbery
At the very least, Atlanta Braves catcher Tyler Flowers thought he had an surefire extra-base hit.
But he was forgetting that nothing gets past the glove of Chicago Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr.
With the Braves hosting the Cubs on Wednesday, Flowers came up in the bottom of the second inning and absolutely crushed a 3-1 fastball from Cubs starter Tyler Chatwood deep to center field.
Almora tracked the ball all the way to the wall, then timed his leap perfectly in such a way that he was able to reach up and catch Flowers’ drive.
In order to make the catch, though, he had to dig his right cleat into the wall itself, thus leaving a clear mark on the fence where his foot had been.
Even from several different replay angles, it’s tough to tell whether Flowers would have had a home run or just an extra-base hit if not for Almora’s incredible catch. However, at least when looking at a still of the play, it sure seems that Almora reached over the wall to make the catch.
According to MLB‘s Statcast, Flowers’ drive left the bat traveling at 106 mph, and it had a hit probability of of 95 percent.
Moreover, since 2015, when Statcast started tracking such statistics, 70 percent of similar batted balls (106 mph exit velocity, 22-degree launch angle) have been home runs.
Regardless of whether it would have been a home run or an extra-base hit, Almora’s catch was impressive, and he knew it.
Right after making the play, he turned his back to the field and looked up at the scoreboard for a few seconds to watch the video replay. Then, he tipped his cap.
And though he was the victim of Almora’s stunning catch, even Flowers had to give credit where credit is due.
“I wasn’t sure if it was going to go out or not when I hit it,” Flowers said after the game. “But I definitely did not think it was going to be caught. I thought it was more of a line drive type of hit more than a fly ball where an outfielder typically has time to get back there.”
“I heard he was playing pretty deep. That worked out well for him there. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll put a little jam job in front of him and get him back,” he added.
Despite Almora’s best efforts, the Braves would go on to beat the Cubs 4-1.
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