Mallex Smith channeled Bo Jackson with a running catch and wall climb
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It's not news that Rays center fielder Mallex Smith is fast. He ranks ninth on Statcast's Sprint Speed leaderboard at 29.7 feet per second. You probably already knew that he was fast. But, did you know that Smith has climbing skills that perfectly complement his speed?
Smith put those climbing skills on display in the fifth inning of the Rays' 3-2 win against the Astros on Sunday. After making a four-star running catch on a fly ball from Jake Marisnick, his momentum forced him to scale the Tropicana Field wall. He bagged the peak:
If you're getting a feeling of deja vu, don't worry. You're not going crazy. Bo Jackson famously made a wall climb of his own in Baltimore in 1990:
There must be something about those light blue uniforms that gets players in a mood to climb outfield walls.