The top 10 Red Sox defensive plays of 2010s

BOSTON -- Top 10 defensive plays of the decade by the Red Sox?

You are guessing that Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts are going to dominate this list. Well, you are right, because they deserve to.

But we did carve out a little space for Andrew Benintendi and Dustin Pedroia as well.

The plays we are about to relive will cause some jaws to drop.

1) Benny’s epic snag propels World Series run
Oct. 17, 2018

Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel was in a heap of trouble in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, and it looked like it was about to get worse. With the bases loaded and two outs, Alex Bregman drove one into left field that seemed like it was going to, at the very least, tie the game. But Benintendi came racing in with full extension to make a tremendous diving catch to end the epic contest and give the Red Sox an epic 8-6 win.

There are a couple of reasons we chose this play as the best one of the decade. The first is how impactful it was in Boston’s eventual World Series win. If the ball had dropped in and Houston had won the game, the ALCS would have been tied at 2, rather than the Sox taking a commanding 3-1 lead. The other reason is that Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione fell out of his chair describing the play. Castiglione has called Sox games on radio since 1983 and no other play or moment ever got him ratcheted up enough to take a tumble.

2) JBJ saves walk-off in Baltimore
May 8, 2019

Trey Mancini had just smashed a walk-off homer with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning. Or so he thought.

Bradley galloped to the gap in left-center field, leveraged himself to the top of the Baltimore bullpen and snatched the baseball back into Camden Yards with flare. It was an electrifying moment -- one that nobody who witnessed it will ever forget. “Unreal,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “That’s Jackie being Jackie,” said Sox lefty David Price. It ended up as a 2-1 win for the Red Sox in 12 innings. Mancini took off his cap and tipped it in Bradley’s direction.

3) Mookie saves Hill’s shutout
Sept. 25, 2015

Rich Hill’s amazing comeback story -- he had been pitching for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League earlier that season -- was gaining full steam on this night. The lefty was one pitch away from tossing a shutout at Fenway for his hometown team. But Baltimore’s Chris Davis looked to put a dent on those plans when he lifted one to deep right-center with two outs in the ninth.

Fortunately for Hill, Betts was in right. The gifted outfielder never gave up on the play, leaping at Boston’s bullpen, temporarily falling on top of it, and making a spectacular catch to preserve the shutout.

4) Pedroia’s surreal barehand off side wall
July 3, 2017

After getting spiked in the left knee by Manny Machado in April, Pedroia spent most of 2017 playing on one healthy leg, which makes great plays like this one even more impressive. With the Red Sox and Rangers locked in a 5-5 tie in the 10th, Boston third baseman Deven Marrero charged a slow roller but made an errant throw to first. The ball caromed off the side wall in foul territory.

It looked like the bounce was going to elude Pedroia. But Pedroia made a barehand snag and, in one motion, fired to first, where Carlos Gómez was nailed after turning toward second. The Red Sox scored a 7-5 win in 11 innings, and all the talk after the game was about Pedroia’s amazing play -- which was equal parts instinctual and athletic.

5) JBJ robs Judge on Sunday Night Baseball
July 16, 2017

Red Sox-Yankees games rarely lack drama, especially when they face off on Sunday Night Baseball. Aaron Judge -- en route to 52 homers in his rookie season -- was facing David Price, and Fenway Park was about to get electrified.

Judge would have had 53 homers that season, if not for Bradley racing back to the triangle area in right-center and leaping over the side corner of the Red Sox’s bullpen to make an astounding catch. Price couldn’t contain himself and just started laughing from the mound. The Red Sox won the game, 3-0.

“I didn't think it was going in the bullpen. I thought it was going to hit the jumbotron, to be honest," Price said. "That's the loudest ball I've heard. I'm pretty sure the wind was blowing in tonight. That's the only reason why that ball stayed in, other than Jackie. That was special."

6) Mookie’s amazing throw at the Trop
Sept. 24, 2019

In what was easily the highlight of an otherwise mundane September for the Red Sox, Betts made one of the best throws anyone has ever seen. Avisaíl García laced one into the corner in right at Tropicana Field, and as Betts went over to field it, a triple seemed like the likely outcome. But Betts picked up the ball from the base of the 322-foot sign in right and fired it -- in the air the entire way. Rafael Devers slapped down the tag, and Betts had the most impressive assist of his career. Betts waved his arms in disbelief, marking one of the rare times in his career he stunned himself.

“Yeah, I didn’t know I could do that,” Betts said. “It’s fun to kind of do stuff that you didn’t know you could do.”

7) Mookie’s other amazing throw at the Trop
Aug. 23, 2016

Before the throw that took place this past season, Betts had another one at Tropicana Field that turned heads nearly as much. In the midst of the 2016 pennant race, Kevin Kiermaier stung one down the line and off the side wall and Betts retrieved it right near where Tampa Bay pitchers were warming up in the bullpen. His perfect one-hop throw nailed Kiermaier at third and helped preserve an important 2-1 victory for the Red Sox.

8) JBJ’s coming-out party catch
July 9, 2014

Over the last few seasons, a great play by Bradley has felt about as common as hearing the national anthem before a game. But in 2014, the first season Bradley spent extended time in the Majors, he announced his presence with authority.

Tyler Flowers smacked one to the gap in right-center and Bradley covered an amazing amount of ground before going into a full dive and snaring the baseball in what was almost right field. Bradley later recalled that the wind was blowing from center to right as he chased it, making the snag all the more difficult in what wound up a 5-4 walk-off win over the White Sox.

9) Benintendi’s first gem
Aug. 22, 2016

Benintendi -- wearing No. 40 at the time -- had been in the Majors for less than a month when he made everyone take notice by leaping over the short wall in left at Tropicana Field and taking back what would have been a homer by Tampa Bay’s Steven Souza Jr. As Benintendi caught it, he remained suspended on top of the wall for a moment before bouncing back into the ballpark. The Red Sox rode the play to a 6-2 win.

10) JBJ tumbles on to the track, robs Wilson
July 29, 2018

The Red Sox were on their way to a franchise-record 108 wins, and Bradley’s defense was a key component in that journey. Never was that more evident than on this day, when he chased down a fly ball into the gap in left-center by Minnesota’s Bobby Wilson and dove for the catch. That alone was impressive enough. But Bradley took the play to another level when he tumbled over on the warning track and crashed into the scoreboard portion of the Green Monster and still held on.