5 unreal catches that saved perfect games and no-hitters
"You don't see catches like that very often."
That what's an incredulous Don Mattingly had to say about Yasiel Puig's insane grab from Saturday night at Marlins Park, where the dynamic 25-year-old preserved Rich Hill's (ultimately unrealized) perfect-game bid with a miraculous diving catch in left field to end the seventh inning.
Mattingly isn't wrong - feats of that ilk with history at stake are, indeed, pretty rare - but we've gone ahead and found a few comparably memorable plays that, like Puig's superb catch, kept a perfect game/no-hitter intact.
July 23, 2009 - Word to the Wise
When Gabe Kapler cracked Mark Buehrle's 2-2 offering deep into left center to lead off the ninth, the crowd at U.S. Cellular Field audibly lost hope. DeWayne Wise didn't, though. Instead, he made a good read and ended up becoming part of history with a remarkable, leaping grab - complete with a stylized bobble - that nudged Buehrle towards the second perfect game in White Sox history.
June 13, 2012 - Gregor Blanc-OhNoHeDidn't
Listening to Duane Kuiper's deliberate, almost delayed call of Gregor Blanco's mind-boggling grab from four years ago, it was obvious he couldn't process what had just unfolded in front of him. Who could, though? All Blanco did was range impossibly deep into right-center gap for an epic diving catch that helped Matt Cain author the 22nd perfect game in MLB history.
July 15, 2013 - Hunter's Landing
Hunter Pence's unforgettable eighth-inning grab that kept the first of Tim Lincecum's two no-hitters alive lacked the grace of Blanco's grab from a year prior, but, well, what else would you expect from Hunter Pence?
September 28, 2014 - "He's got it! He's got it!"
Off the bat, Jordan Zimmermann thought he blew it. Steven Souza Jr. - the newly recalled rookie inserted into left field for defensive purposes - wasn't about to let the right-hander's brilliant effort go for naught, though, and ended up making a superb diving grab that capped the first no-hitter in Nationals history.
July 25, 2015 - Odubel's adventure
Take note, kids: This is very much how not to track a fly ball. Still, despite taking a route that would've made Magellan sick, Odubel Herrera managed to haul in Kris Bryant's drive to center, bookending Cole Hamels' final start with the Phillies - and, you know, the 13th no-hitter in franchise history - in dramatic fashion.
(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)