Robbing a home run is hard enough. Imagine trying to do so when it's not even your play to make.
Boston Red Sox outfielders Wilyer Abreu and Cedanne Rafaela teamed up to rob what would have been a homer from Detroit Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter. In a tied game in the bottom of the seventh inning, Abreu tracked back to the wall to make a leaping attempt on the well-hit ball from Carpenter.
Abreu made a solid effort, but the ball bounced out of his glove and up into the air, right into the hands of Rafaela who trekked over from center field. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK pic.twitter.com/DIgyEzwWfp
— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2025
Here's a closer angle of the incredible grab:
WATCHING THIS ON REPEAT ALL NIGHT 😍 pic.twitter.com/zjXOpxivxw
— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2025
And look at how far Rafaela came to be in the perfect spot when he least expected it:
Yes, Ceddanne Rafaela REALLY caught this ball 🤯 https://t.co/Z6HvEH0WNA pic.twitter.com/psepVqD8LF
— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2025
We have already seen some incredible catches early in the MLB season, but this one may take the cake as the leading candidate for best catch of the year through mid-May.
Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the Tigers walked them off in the bottom of the ninth on a pinch-hit single from Justyn-Henry Malloy. It was the second night in a row where Boston lost on a walk off, as Javier Baez hit a three-run, walk-off homer to beat the Red Sox Tuesday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Red Sox Outfielders Teamed Up to Rob a Home Run in Potential Catch of the Year.
