Reminisce about Phillies' best defense of 2010s
PHILADELPHIA -- What were the best defensive plays by a Phillie this decade?
Here at MLB.com, we put together the 10 best Phillies plays from 2010-19. Of course, this list is subjective, but we included a few plays because of their significance more than degree of difficulty. You will see what we mean when you relive the first three on this list.
1. Herrera clinches Hamels’ no-no
July 25, 2015
It wasn’t the prettiest catch in the world by Odúbel Herrera, but it created one final dramatic moment as Cole Hamels threw the first no-hitter of his career in the final start of his Phillies career. Philadelphia traded him to Texas a few days later.
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2. Castro spins to end Doc’s perfect game
May 29, 2010
It was Juan Castro's first start at third base in 2010 and just his third start there since '07. Roy Halladay had two outs in the bottom of the ninth with a perfect game on the line, when Castro fielded a ball moving to his left. He knew the best way to make the strongest throw to first base was to spin and throw. He did. History was made.
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3. Chooch saves the day in Halladay’s October no-no
Oct. 6, 2010
You know the deal. Carlos Ruiz cleanly picked up the baseball, which was rolling up along Brandon Phillips’ bat, before making a strong throw to first base. What a moment in baseball history.
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4. Revere’s Superman impression
April 15, 2013
Ben Revere got a bad jump on the ball, but his speed allowed him to recover and make a crazy diving catch toward the center-field wall in Cincinnati. Nobody thought he would catch it. Case in point: he easily doubled-up Jay Bruce at first base.
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5. Galvis’ great sequence
April 25, 2015
How has Freddy Galvis not won a Gold Glove Award? It seemed like Galvis made plays like these all the time in Philly, but he somehow he keeps getting overlooked among baseball’s best defensive shortstops.
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6. Vinny Velo goes left-handed
June 30, 2018
Vince Velasquez is one of the best athletes on the Phillies, and he showed it here. He got drilled on the right arm by a line drive, dropped his glove, picked up the ball with his left hand and threw out Adam Eaton at first base.
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7. Herrera grabs a fist full of leaves
April 28, 2018
This was one of the best catches in baseball in 2018, if for no other reason than the visual of Herrera reaching over the center-field fence and pulling the ball out of the bushes. Herrera always had the talent to make plays like this.
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8. Haseley plays possum
Sept. 4, 2019
Adam Haseley showed in the final month of 2019 that he can be a pretty good defensive outfielder. He really showed it when he pulled back a Galvis home run in Cincinnati. Haseley waited a few seconds before he showed everyone he had the ball.
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9. Velasquez the outfielder
Aug. 2, 2019
The Phillies ran out of players, so they put Velasquez in left field. No problem. He made a fantastic diving catch to rob the White Sox’s Eloy Jimenez of a hit.
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10. Franco’s great nab, throw
June 18, 2018
Maikel Franco made plays like this every once in a while, but this might have been his best. He made a great snag down the line, but the momentum carried him into foul territory. No big deal. He turned, jumped and threw to get the runner at first base.
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