Chris Taylor's great throw wins Play of Week
A Dodgers star is taking home Play of the Week honors for the second straight week.
The Dodgers’ uber-versatile Chris Taylor is MLB’s choice this week for his game-ending outfield assist Wednesday against the Padres in San Diego. Los Angeles had built an early 4-0 lead behind starter Ross Stripling, but the Padres had clawed their way back to within a run by the bottom of the ninth inning.
With runners on the corners, San Diego star Manny Machado smacked a one-out liner to left field that Taylor corralled more than 250 feet from home plate. Padres outfielder Trent Grisham tagged up at third and sprinted home as the potential tying run, but Taylor gunned him down with a perfect 93.3 mph (as clocked by Statcast) one-hop throw to catcher Will Smith.
Smith made a sweep tag on Grisham, and the initial out call was confirmed on review for a walk-off double play.
“I don’t think I’ve ever ended a game on the defensive side like that,” said Taylor, who earned the moniker "CT93.3" in a postgame tweet by Stripling. “It was pretty exhilarating.”
Taylor’s Play of the Week award comes just one week after Dodgers star Mookie Betts claimed the honor for an incredible 305-foot outfield assist of his own against the D-backs on July 31. The Dodgers’ outfield entered Monday leading all MLB clubs with a combined 4 Outs Above Average (OAA), per Statcast.