Why Giants' Drew Gilbert nearly let fly ball hit the ground in sneaky move vs. Phillies
This had the potential to be brilliant.
Why Giants' Drew Gilbert nearly let fly ball hit the ground in sneaky move vs. Phillies originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
When Alec Bohm lofted a fly ball nearly 400 feet to centerfield with the winning run Adolis Garcia on third base, the game was essentially over. The Philadelphia Phillies were going to walk it off on a sacrifice fly unless San Francisco Giants centerfielder Drew Gilbert could pull off something magical. Gilbert went with a move many people hadn't seen before, one that had the potential to be brilliant.
It didn't work, but this was a low-odds situation anyway. It was worth a shot. MORE: How son Justin Crawford made history like his father, Carl, with Don Mattingly What did Drew Gilbert do?
Gilbert opted to catch the ball as close to the ground as possible. Normally, an outfielder will catch the ball up above their shoulder. In this case, they'd try to get a quick running start to build momentum through a catch up high right into a throw toward home.