The sun at Dodger Stadium was rough to start NLCS Game 2 on Sunday. With a slightly earlier start (4:38 p.m. PST versus 5 p.m. or after) the sun’s glare still blanketed the edge of the outfield as the game began.
Albert Almora and Yasiel Puig battle sun’s glare to make great catches in NLCS Game 2
The sun is no match for talented outfielders.
That made it difficult for the outfielders to track the ball, both for the home team and the visiting Cubs. Two impressive catches early in the game showed the much higher degree of difficulty for the players.
Yasiel Puig nearly ran over Chris Taylor on his snag, leaning over him to make the catch at the last minute (using him as a supportive ledge while making the catch is much better than running right through him).
Possibly more impressive was Almora’s though, as he made a half-hopping catch over his head deep in the outfield.
Albert Almora Jr. hit a two-run home run for the Cubs in Game 1 to give his team a lead, but in Game 2 on Sunday he made a defensive play early that they are probably equally thankful for.
He pretty obviously has no idea where the ball is and the fact that he was battling the sun while only having a vague sense of how close a small projectile object was to his face with seconds before impact is impressive.
He also wasn’t wearing his sunglasses ... which, listen. I get that it’s cool to not wear sunglasses in the field and instead keep them on the top of your hat like all the popular kids do. But they do have a job, and their job is to help you see small, hard, baseballs flying at your face so you can catch them before they hit your face. Just sayin’.
Both were clutch plays, keeping baserunners off the base paths early in the game. They were both solid plays, but which one did you think was the better lucky grab?
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