How does Keon Broxton's game-ending catch stack up among the greatest in recent memory?
In the Brewers' 6-5 win over the Cardinals Wednesday afternoon,
Due to his speed and the fact that he plays the outfield, the concept of a highlight-reel catch is not a foreign one to Broxton. Certainly robbing a two-run home run to end the game in protection of a one-run lead ranks highly among the highlights of his career.
But where does it rank among other great game-ending catches in relatively recent memory? Both the catch itself and the context -- the Brewers and Cardinals are both in contention for the NL Wild Card -- combine to make it pretty great. What follows is a collection of Broxton's peers, in no particular order.
Steven Souza preserves
Having recently entered the game as a defensive replacement, all eyes were on Souza as
Continuing on the theme of no-hitters, we come to a more-recent catch from Herrera to preserve Hamels' no-hitter in his last start as a Phillie. Herrera initially over-ran
While this catch did not guarantee a no-hitter or snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, Kiermaier's perfectly timed leap and catch of
Sure, the Red Sox had already broken the Curse of the Bambino by winning the World Series in 2004, but no one in Boston was going to complain about getting another shot at it. Speedy center fielder Crisp sent them back for the second time in four years with this great full-speed grab while running into the Fenway wall.
Mike Trout does everything. He can hit for average, hit for power, steal bases, draw a walk, and play great defense in the outfield. But, did you know he also makes leaping game-winning catches? With the Angels lead in jeopardy against the A's with two outs in the ninth inning, Trout put that last tool of his on display.
Back when Heyward and
Brent Lillibridge owns the ninth inning
We've been focusing exclusively on game-ending catches here, but often, a deeper appreciation of the context is important to set the stage for a catch. With the White Sox leading the Yankees with one out in the ninth inning, Alex Rodriguez looked poised to be a hero on a fly ball sent deep into Yankee Stadium's shallow right field.
Next up was
Obviously there have been many more great catches to seal victories and this is just a small sampling of recent displays. These -- and all the other acts of defensive heroism -- deserve appreciation.
Which game-ending grab is your favorite? Feel free to weigh in.