Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but a stellar defensive play from Jackie Bradley Jr. helped guide the Boston Red Sox to victory.
While Bradley typically garners praise for his glove, it was his rocket arm that earned him a spot on the highlight reel Wednesday night when the Red Sox wrapped up their three-game series with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
After C.J. Cron reached first on a one-out single in the opening frame, the Twins first baseman tried to make it all the way home on a Nelson Cruz double off the right-field wall. But thanks to a laser of a throw from JBJ, Cron failed to score the contest’s first run.
The Red Sox went on to claim a 9-4 win and a series victory over the first-place Twins.
Michael Chavis only has been Bradley’s teammates for a few months now, so he’s still left in awe any time the Gold Glove winner flashes the leather. In fact, the young slugger still praises the Red Sox center fielder for a stellar grab he made over a month ago.
“That throw he made tonight, he’s unbelievable out there,” Chavis said, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “There’s so many times balls are hit out there that I’m like, ‘Dang. That’s a double. That’s a home run.’ And then he’s just there out of nowhere. That play he made in Baltimore, the extra-innings robbed home run, I tell him at least once a week that that’s still the best play I’ve seen in my entire life. I’m still stunned.”
It’s tough to blame Chavis. The early-May snag was one of the best of Bradley’s career, much to the chagrin of Orioles slugger Trey Mancini:
Bradley’s catalog of crazy catches seems to grow by the game, and he’ll look to add on Friday when the Red Sox return home to open a three-game series with the division rival Toronto Blue Jays.
