The Pittsburgh Pirates have been playing good baseball lately, winning seven of their last nine games entering Thursday’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. They’ve been hitting well, pitching well and playing good defense.
During Tuesday’s 8-3 road win over the Cardinals, Pirates catcher Henry Davis made one of the craziest plays anyone’s ever seen.
With Pittsburgh up 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Mitch Keller struck out Jordan Walker swinging for the second out of the inning. The ball got past Davis, however, rolling nearly all the way to the backstop.
Fortunately, Davis quickly recovered. He raced to the ball, scooped it up, turned around and fired an off-balance rocket to first baseman Spencer Horwitz, beating Walker with a perfect throw.
After the game, Pirates players shared their amazement in interviews with SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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“Probably the craziest play I’ve honestly seen in baseball,” Keller said. “Usually when it goes to the backstop, no one even has the wherewithal to run back and throw it…It was a cool play.”
“Henry was like a cat. Jumped on it, and I see this huge six-four dude coming right at me,” Horwitz said. “Thankfully, Henry got it to me quick and put it right on the money.”
Pittsburgh’s coaches were also impressed with the jaw-dropping play, which showcased Davis’ arm, athleticism, quick thinking and natural instincts.
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“There’s not many guys in the league that can make that throw like that,” manager Don Kelly said. “Off-balance, with that kind of arm strength, going away from first base. That was impressive.”
“Just kind of a crazy baseball play,” said Pirates catching coach Jordan Comadena. “Just reacting to it. Finish the play. Ball gets away from you, don’t give up on it…Good on all fronts and just finishing the play.”
The 2021 first overall draft pick has provided a boost behind the plate for Pittsburgh in his third season, contributing a career-high 0.9 WAR and helping the team go 36-34 in his 70 games. While his offense (.547 OPS) has been subpar, he’s been one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. His seven defensive runs saved are tied for ninth in MLB.
While Davis was mad at himself for letting the ball get by him in the first place, he did an incredible job saving the play and getting the out.
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Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images