Throw wins Culberson Play of the Week honors
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Braves outfielder Charlie Culberson's game-saving throw home against the Marlins on Sunday has been selected as the MLB Play of the Week presented by W.B. Mason.
Playing left field with the bases loaded and no outs in the ninth inning, Culberson charged in to catch Neil Walker's line drive and unleashed a strong throw to nab Jorge Alfaro at the plate, completing a double play and cutting down what would have been the tying run.
After Curtis Granderson walked to load the bases again, Luke Jackson got Miguel Rojas to fly out for the final out, giving Atlanta a 4-3 win.
The clutch throw came after Culberson entered as a defensive replacement for Austin Riley in the eighth inning. Alfaro's sprint speed on the play was 29.4 ft/sec, above the MLB average of 27 ft/sec as well as the Marlins catcher's personal average of 28.9 ft/sec. But Culberson was able to nail him with a throw that Statcast measured at 91.7 mph.
The 30-year-old is the first Braves player to earn the Play of the Week Award, which is new for the 2019 season. The Play of the Week Award has been won by an outfielder in all but three weeks this season, and the Brewers' Lorenzo Cain is the only player who has won it more than once.