DETROIT -- Home run robbery is typically one of the most visually-pleasing plays in baseball.
But you’d be hard-pressed to find a play similar to the one Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela combined for in the bottom of the seventh inning in Wednesday’s eventual 6-5 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.
In what might go down as the best co-catch of the MLB season, Abreu went back to try to take a home run away from Kerry Carpenter. Rafaela thought about going for it also, but he could see Abreu was on the case.
As Abreu jumped as high as he could and stretched his glove over the wall, the ball tipped off his glove and deflected into the mitt of Rafaela.
It was MLB’s version of an alley-oop pass, and executed perfectly by the Red Sox on a play that goes down as 9-8 in your scorebook.
“Just watching the ball all the way,” Abreu said through interpreter Daveson Pérez. “Got close to the wall. Tried to make my best effort to catch it. I had Rafaela behind me and he was able to make the catch. The goal was to catch the ball for sure. I wasn’t able to, but I had Rafaela right there behind me, who is always having my back on plays and was able to make that catch.”
So when was the last 9-8 play in MLB?
Per Elias: The last legitimate 9-8 putout occurred on Sep. 14, 2003.
According to archival descriptions of that play, right fielder Michael Ryan lost a Jhonny Peralta fly ball in the sun, and it bounced off his face and was caught by center fielder Dustan Mohr. Ryan was credited with an assist on the play.
Fortunately for Abreu and Rafaela, no facial sacrifice was required on this gem.
“I didn’t know where the ball was going to land,” said Rafaela. “I was trying to go for it, but I saw Wily, and he was under the ball already. I was just there if it hit the wall or something. And then I saw it [deflect], and I stuck my hand in there.”
Rafaela excitedly ran forward raising the ball in his hand to show the umpires he had it.
From the mound, Liam Hendriks raised his arms triumphantly.
“I was like, ‘Oh, crap,’ and then I saw Wily drifting back, and I was like, ‘Oh, maybe he’s got a chance.’ I didn't think it was that chance,” Hendriks said.
After a crew chief review, the circus catch was confirmed.
“And then, actually, the umpire told me, ‘You should probably keep that ball. It’s a little bit of a lucky one.’ I took his advice, kept it,” said Hendriks. “And the next ball went straight to Trevor [Story]. I think the ball had some good juju in it for me.”
Carpenter couldn’t believe his eyes, but he had an appreciation for what he witnessed.
"I've hit balls pretty similar that have gone further than that,” Carpenter said. “I was surprised. I hate that we were on the other end of it, but that was pretty fun to watch, honestly."
Abreu won the American League’s Gold Glove Award as a rookie last season and showed his athleticism just to reach the ball on what would have been a go-ahead homer for the Tigers.
"I thought it was 10 rows deep,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. “Then I was hoping that those little fake bushes in the outfield maybe had [pushed the ball back into play]. And then I was walking out to the crew chief just to make sure, and then our in-game showed the video on the board, and if I could've just rescinded the crew chief, I would have. It was obvious that they'd made a great play. But when Carp hits a ball in the air, don't we all think it's a homer?"
Rafaela proved once again that he is one the best defenders at his position in MLB not just because of his athleticism, but because of his instincts and attention to detail.
“Yeah, great job by the kid in center field,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He was following the play. That was awesome. That was great.”
It had already been an eventful inning for the Red Sox, who came back from a 5-2 deficit to tie the game with a three-run rally against reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and reliever Tyler Holton.
On a night the Red Sox came away with an unthinkable play, the only downer was they couldn’t avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Tigers, who have the best record (29-15) in the American League.
“I think any time you see plays like that, you hope it sparks something,” said Hendriks. “And unfortunately, it wasn't to be.”
But Rafaela knew the moment was one to savor.
“Those are the plays that don’t happen every day,” Rafaela said. “I think you have to be there for your teammates on every play and those kinds of things happen.”
Yet it might be a while before a play resembling that one happens again.