Albert Almora Jr. made three unreal catches during Sunday's Cubs game
It didn't take long for the Rockies to test Almora. With one out in the first and a runner on second,
... and came down with the catch, robbing Arenado of at least a double. Quintana was ecstatic:
Almora was a little shaken up from pulling off the catch, but thankfully, he was good to stay in the game. That was fortunate for Quintana and the Cubs because just one inning later,
Once more, Almora reeled in the extra-base-hit attempt. That made at least two RBI doubles robbed by Almora on the day.
The catches themselves were pretty similar as well.
What is it with defenses this weekend creating identical plays? As Yogi Berra would say, it's déjà vu all over again.
UPDATE: He did it again in the ninth! This time while crashing into the wall:
MLB.com correspondent Owen Perkins talked to Almora postgame.
"I'm just trying to prevent some runs from scoring," Almora said. "In this kind of field, you have a lot of room to run. I was just trying to be in the right spot at the right time. I just wanted to go get it. I was going to give it all I had. Even if I didn't think I had a great chance, I was giving to give it my shot, and it just fell in the glove."
Asked if he was hurt at all, Almora said, "It's all right. We're in April. I have time to relax."
Fair enough.
Rockies manager Bud Black also weighed in on the performance.
"Their center fielder probably made two of the greatest plays I've seen in my career."
Quite the compliment.