Catch Of The Year? Nationals CF Takes Away Homer From Reds Hitter: WATCH
Jacob Young went OVER the wall to turn Will Benson's homer into an out
I'll be the first to admit that when I see a headline that mentions "robbed of a home run," I'm skeptical. Often, times, these catches are made at the wall and might not have actually been homers had they not been caught. Many times, the outfielder barely jumps. That was not the case Wednesday afternoon at Nationals Park when Washington center fielder Jacob Young legitimately took a home run away from Cincinnati Reds hitter Will Benson.
Washington Nationals centerfielder Jacob Young took a home run away from Cincinnati Reds hitter Will Benson during Wednesday's matinée matchup between the two teams.
(Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
With the Reds leading 3-0 in the top of the eighth, Benson ripped a pitch to dead-center that appeared on its way out of the park to make it 5-0 Cincinnati. But Young got to the wall, climbed it, reached OVER the fence and caught a ball that was already beyond the field of play. It's an easy candidate for catch-of-the-year in the MLB.
Take a look:
There's nothing cheap about this home run robbery. Young was running back on the warning track, timed his jump perfectly, used the wall to his advantage, stretched his arm as far as possible, and made an unbelievable catch. The live view doesn't even do this catch justice. Other angles show just how far beyond the fence the ball was when Young caught it.
Unfortunately for Young, the catch didn't ultimately matter (unless you ask Will Benson) because the team's offense didn't show up. Reds starter Nick Lodolo dominated Washington hitters all afternoon, pitching a complete-game shutout to secure the win for Cincinnati, which added two runs in the top of the ninth to win, 5-0.
It was a big win for the Reds, too. They are the only team in the MLB this season that has not been swept in a single series. That streak was in jeopardy Wednesday after losing to Washington on Monday and Tuesday. But the offense did just enough; Lodolo tossed a gem; and, the team overcame what could be the catch of the year in Major League Baseball.