Lourdes' strike evokes Yo's legendary throw

Blue Jays left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s throw to get the Rays' Yandy Díaz at the plate on Friday was impressive, coming in at 85.7 mph and nabbing Díaz despite picking up the ball in foul territory down the left-field line. It’s reminiscent of another strong throw from left field -- by the A's Yoenis Céspedes on June 10, 2014, against the Angels.

The Céspedes throw is typically considered the memorable Céspedes throw, as he made it on the fly from the edge of left field to get Howie Kendrick at the plate.

Céspedes had to grab the ball from so far into left field in part because it went off his glove as he tried to grab it on a bounce. After chasing it, he executed his on-point throw. Gurriel, on the other hand, had no such mishap, and instead got a bit of an assist from the wall as the ball -- a double -- bounced off the base.

Gurriel’s throw was a bit high, but catcher Danny Jansen brought it down and applied the tag, and Díaz was out.

The differences in situation are worth noting, too. Gurriel’s throw was in the bottom of the first in a 1-0 game, with the Rays leading and looking to add more. Céspedes’ throw, in contrast, preserved a tie game in the 8th inning.