Kevin Pillar makes great diving catch, turns two
In a Tuesday game against division rivals the Baltimore Orioles, Adam Jones hit the ball into center field and it looked to be a base hit. Instead, the Blue Jays’ Kevin Pillar, who continues to play Gold Glove-calibre defence, robbed Jones of a hit with an incredible diving catch. He didn’t even stop to rest on his laurels, throwing the ball to second for a double play.
Brock Holt’s diving defence
The Boston Red Sox’s Brock Holt was all about robbing hits on April 21’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. In two separate incidents, Holt quickly dove to catch two hits before firing to first base to get the outs. The more spectacular of the two hits was against Asdrubal Cabrera; Holt’s throw traveled like a bullet to get the out.
Adeiny Hechavarria’s very good day
Since being traded from the Toronto Blue Jays, Adeiny Hechavarria has proven himself a valuable defensive asset, first for the Pittsburgh Pirates and now for the Miami Marlins. On a Thursday game against the Phillies, not only did Hechavarria go 4 for 4 in hitting, he also made two fantastic plays involving a lot of spinning. For the first play, he made nearly a full 360-degree spin to get the out at first.
Juan Lagares’ backwards catch
Fine catches come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes making a good one will turn you around. When the New York Mets were in the middle of their 11-game hot streak last week (that ended a few days ago), Juan Lagares added to the mania by catching a ball that almost hit the wall. He got turned around and somehow still managed to make the over-the-shoulder catch.
Nolan Arenado’s great stop gets better
In a Friday game against the San Francisco Giants, the Colorado Rockies pulled off an amazing double play. The Giants’ Casey McGehee hit a hot shot to third, which Nolan Arenado quickly grabbed, running to third to get the out. He then went above and beyond, launching the ball with no time to spare, just in time to prevent McGehee from reaching first.