It's hard to imagine anyone on the Boston Red Sox will make a better catch than the one Rob Refsnyder made in the eighth inning on Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
Refsnyder was activated on Friday to replace Jonathan Araúz, who was designated for assignment while filling in for the injured Kiké Hernández. In Refsnyder's brief tenure with Boston, he has certainly made an impact.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the veteran utility man was hit by a pitch, setting up the eventual game-winning two-run home run for Rafael Devers. In the bottom of the frame, Refsnyder made an incredible, game-changing robbery catch of Ty France, who laced a ball into the gap. Had the 31-year-old journeyman not come up with the play, the Mariners would have had a runner in scoring position and been one long ball away from a tie game.
You can watch the sprawling catch here:
"Off the bat I really didn't think I had a chance but it kind of just stayed up there," Refsnyder told reporters, as seen on NESN.com. "So thankful to get there."
He showed some raw excitement after making the play, which he explained.
"I was pretty pumped up," Refsnyder said. "Ty is a pretty special hitter right now. Just to keep him off the bases (was important). We had a two-run lead so just come off the bases, (and avoid a) potentially game-tying two-run home run."
The play was a pivotal turning point in the game, crushing any potential hope the Mariners had. Boston won the game 2-0.
The Red Sox will take a much-deserved off day Monday before starting a nine-game homestand. They start by playing the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET following an hour of pregame coverage, and you can watch it all on NESN.
