A little over a week into the MLB season, and the catch of the year might have already occurred, thanks to Cody Bellinger.
The Yankees outfielder, playing left in the team’s 8-2 home opener win over the Marlins, turned a misplay into a spectacular grab to save a would-be extra-base hit.
In the top of the ninth inning, Miami’s Xavier Edwards smoked a hard liner at 96.4 mph to left off lefty reliever Ryan Yarbrough, sending Bellinger back toward the warning track.
Bellinger leapt off the edge of the outfield grass, knocking the ball down but could not snag it.
However, as he came back down to earth, Bellinger blindly swiped at the ball with his gloved hand and came up with it for the out.
Bellinger lifted up both of his hands as he rested against the outfield wall, with adoring fans in the Yankee Stadium bleachers cheering him on.
He admitted after the game that he got a bit “lucky” with the snag.
“I feel like I had a good bead on it the whole way,” he told reporters after the victory. “I think it caught off my wrist. I really don’t know. I’m just glad I came down with it.”
Bellinger has been known for his defensive prowess during his career, winning a Gold Glove with the Dodgers during the 2019 season. During his first season in pinstripes, Bellinger recorded seven outs above average to rank in the 93rd percentile in the category, according to Baseball Savant.
The outfielder went 1-for-4 at the plate with a double, walk and run scored.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
