The great home run robberies of 2019
A home-run robbery is one of the coolest highlights a baseball player can pull off. It's an amazing feat of athleticism that never fails to bring the fans to their feet.
MLB outfielders haven't been stingy with the great catches this season -- they could already fill up a highlight reel, and there are sure to be more as the season goes on. But which ones are the best of the best?
Here are the top home-run robberies of 2019:
1) Ramon Laureano, A's -- May 7 (Joey Votto batting)
This wasn't just a sensational home-run robbery. It was "The Play." Yes, Laureano -- who in his first season-plus in the Majors has more highlight-reel plays than some players make in a career -- saved a no-hitter.
Laureano stole a homer from Votto in the sixth inning of Mike Fiers' 2-0 no-no against the Reds, which was the 300th in MLB history. He skied high above the center-field wall at Oakland Coliseum to make the spectacular backhand grab at the very apex of his leap. It would be a special play regardless of the circumstances. The fact that it preserved a no-hitter took it to another level.
2) Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox -- May 8 (Trey Mancini batting)
Red Sox manager Alex Cora summed up Bradley's latest highlight-reel grab with a single word: "Unreal."
With the game tied at 1 in the bottom of the 11th, Mancini's drive to center appeared destined to give the Orioles a walk-off win. But JBJ had other plans. The center fielder went skyward, planted his right foot on the wall for his first step, and then his left foot for the second step and brought the ball back into the park for the second out, preserving a game Boston would go on to win, 2-1, in the 12th.
“I just went back, tracked it, got a good jump on it, timed up my footsteps the way I wanted to and got up there and executed,” said Bradley.
3) Lorenzo Cain, Brewers -- March 28 (Jose Martinez batting)
Cain kicked off the season in style with a brilliant game-saving home-run robbery on Opening Day. With the Brewers holding a 5-4 lead over the rival Cardinals with two out in the ninth inning, Martinez crushed a fly ball to right-center field that looked like it would tie the game. But Cain raced 101 feet to the fence and timed his leap perfectly -- going over the wall to bring the home run back, end the game and electrify the home crowd at Miller Park.
4) Josh Reddick, Astros -- May 9 (Hunter Pence batting)
Reddick once again earned his Spider-Man moniker, climbing the right-field wall at Minute Maid Park to rob Pence of a three-run shot that would have given the Rangers the lead in the ninth inning. Instead, Astros closer Roberto Osuna punched out Joey Gallo a batter later to preserve a 4-2 Astros win.
5) Kevin Pillar, Giants -- May 4 (Nick Senzel batting)
Senzel, the Reds' top prospect, was looking for his first Major League home run when he crushed a fly ball to deep center field at Great American Ball Park in the third inning on May 4. But Pillar had other ideas. The Giants center fielder scaled the wall next to the 404-foot sign and reached back to take away Senzel's homer, but the Reds went on to win, 9-2.
6) Ramon Laureano, A's -- April 21 (Teoscar Hernandez batting)
Laureano's no-hitter-saving home-run rob wasn't even his first amazing robbery of the season. The A's center fielder also started one of the craziest defensive sequences you'll ever see against the Blue Jays in late April. The robbery, somehow, was only the start -- Laureano tracked Hernandez's drive for 100 feet back over his head to the center-field wall, then went high above the fence to snare it on the backhand with a perfectly timed jump.
Then, trying to double off Justin Smoak at first base, Laureano fired a throw -- on the fly -- from the warning track nearly into the stands along the first-base line. It went over everything, and Smoak not only got back to first base, he decided to try to tag up and advance to second. The A's corralled the ball and threw him out, though the Blue Jays eventually prevailed, 5-4.
7) Lorenzo Cain, Brewers -- April 26 (Todd Frazier batting)
Did you think Laureano would be the only one with multiple robberies on this list? Think again. Cain is one of the elite defenders in the game, and he made a second terrific robbery against the Mets at Citi Field. Cain had to cover 87 feet back to the wall to give himself a chance to make the play -- and make it he did, snaring the ball at the very top of his leap above the center-field wall. The Brewers, spurred by Cain's incredible play, scored a 10-2 victory in Queens.
8) Cameron Maybin, Yankees -- May 4 (Jonathan Schoop batting)
Yankee Stadium's right-field porch has given hitters plenty of home runs over the years. Maybin took one of them back. The Yankees' newly acquired outfielder timed his leap perfectly and skied above the wall to make one of the Bronx Bombers' defensive plays of the year against the Twins' Jonathan Schoop. Minnesota would get the last laugh, however, winning 7-3.
9) Ian Desmond, Rockies -- March 29 (Lewis Brinson batting)
Desmond had to go a long way -- 102 feet -- to take a home run away from Brinson in the Rockies' 6-1 win against the Marlins in Miami. But Desmond got to the center-field fence at Marlins Park just in time to time his leap and bring the ball back into play. Brinson could only doff his helmet.
10) Adam Jones -- May 10 (Ronald Acuna Jr. batting)
Perhaps robbing home runs is just old hat for the veteran Jones, whose thievery vs. the Braves was so nonchalant that players and managers on both sides weren't sure until the last moment if the ball even had a chance of going out for a two-run homer or would simply die at the warning track. The catch preserved a 1-1 tie in a game the D-backs ultimately won, 3-2.
Other 2019 home-run robberies
• Manuel Margot, Padres, May 8. Watch It >
• J.B. Shuck, Pirates, April 25. Watch It >
• Dwight Smith Jr., Orioles, April 23. Watch It >
• Cody Bellinger, Dodgers, April 21. Watch It >
• Eddie Rosario, Twins, April 20. Watch It >
• Lorenzo Cain, Brewers, April 15. Watch It >
• Mike Trout, Angels, April 8**.** Watch It >