Jones: 'I'm still kind of in shock that I even got to that ball'
Fans, teammates, and even Adam Jones himself are still coming to grips with the outfielder's spectacular home run-robbing snag on Manny Machado.
Facing United States reliever Tyler Clippard to lead off the seventh inning, Machado ripped a ball to right-center field that may not have even prompted a reaction from outfielders in other ballparks, with a few exceptions.
But Jones, a San Diego native apparently well-versed in Petco Park's aerodynamics, gave immediate chase to the ball laced by his Baltimore Orioles teammate, nearly falling into a chorus of American fans to make the catch, evoking a tip-of-the-cap response from Machado for his heroics.
"I'm still kind of in shock that I even got to that ball," Jones told FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "I mean, off the bat I'm just like, 'This ball's hit really far, so just keep going, keep going.' You know this California air's going to slow it down, and you just never quit.
"That’s just the style I play with. I don't mind running into a wall or two."
(Video courtesy: MLB.com)
According to Statcast, Jones traveled over 100 feet before timing his leap to perfection to preserve USA's 4-2 lead (albeit only momentarily, as Robinson Cano went deep in the next at-bat).
Christian Yelich, who was manning left field during the play, told Rosenthal it "might be the coolest catch I've seen," while Andrew McCutchen, who passionately high-fived Jones as he bounced off the wall, still couldn't believe what he had seen.
"I've never seen anything like that in person," he said, according to Rosenthal.
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