Polanco robs hit with 3rd career 9-3 putout
Pirates outfielder's laser throw keeps pitcher Wilson from earning 1st career knock
PITTSBURGH -- Making his Major League debut in Monday night's 1-0 Braves win over the Pirates at PNC Park, 20-year-old Atlanta right-hander Bryse Wilson thought he had his first career hit in the fourth inning. Gregory Polanco properly welcomed the young pitcher to the big leagues.
With two outs, Wilson ripped a ball into shallow right field, where Polanco fielded the ball and fired a 97.1-mph dart to first baseman Josh Bell to nab Wilson and end the inning.
"It was awesome," said Chris Archer, who made the start for the Pirates on Monday. "I saw it happen a couple nights ago, too, and it was a bang-bang [play]. That was huge. Our defense has been picking us up lately, and a play like that is good to see."
Wilson's clocked sprint speed of 27.6 feet per second was actually above the MLB average (27), but it proved to be no match for Polanco's arm.
This isn't Polanco's first assist to first base from the outfield, either. On Sept. 15, 2015, he robbed Cubs pitcher Trevor Cahill of a hit with a strong throw from the outfield, and just a couple of weeks later, on Oct. 2, he did the same to the Reds' Keyvius Sampson, also a pitcher.