Watch: A home run robbery so good, the batter can only tip his cap
Yasiel Puig thought he got all of it.
The Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder paused for a moment at home plate to admire his work after driving a ball deep to center field in the bottom of the sixth inning.
But Oakland Athletics center fielder Trayce Thompson wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
Thompson backtracked to the fence, then timed his leap perfectly in such a way that he was able to rob Puig of a home run.
Shocked, all Puig could do was tip his helmet to Thompson as he jogged off the field.
Trayce Thompson welcomes himself back to Los Angeles in style 😎#RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/sX9asy61ez
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) April 12, 2018
“Yasiel obviously is really strong,” Thompson said after the game, according to MLB.com. “Off the bat, I didn’t think he got all of it, but just went back and made a play. That’s it, really.”
The game itself — which was played at Dodger Stadium — served as a homecoming of sorts for Thompson. The center fielder spent parts of the past two seasons with the Dodgers before being claimed off waivers by the A’s just last week.
Wednesday’s contest was the first time he started for his new team.
“It was a big part of the game, but I feel like I’ve made a couple plays better than that. It’s definitely up there, though, and it feels good to do it against these guys,” Thompson said of his outstanding play.
A’s left fielder Khris Davis was certainly impressed, calling the home run robbery “fantastic.”
“Just fantastic,” Davis said. “I think he might have bigger hops than his brother after watching that. That was nice.”
Davis was referring to Trayce’s brother, Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson. Now that they both play in the Bay Area, the brothers are back to living in the same house.
And though Klay might be the more well known of the two brothers, he wanted the world to see Trayce’s impressive catch, posting a video of the play to his Instagram story.
Klay’s IG story after Trayce robbed Puig 😂
(Via @KlayThompson) pic.twitter.com/Yv7pySIruK
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 12, 2018
Puig’s drive left his bat traveling at 105 mph, with a 24-degree launch angle. According to MLB’s Statcast technology, about 78 percent of similar batted balls have been home runs.
“I thought it was going a little farther than that, and when you saw him get back to the wall and time it, you’re kind of hoping,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “I don’t know that anybody in this ballpark could’ve made that play. Maybe over at the Staples Center.”
The A’s ended up beating the Dodgers 16-6.
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