On August 12, 2015, the Chicago Cubs hosted the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Jason Hammel held the ball for Chicago, as the Cubs held a one-run lead in the middle innings. By all accounts, it was a standard, run-of-the-mill contest. But then, in the sixth inning, Anthony Rizzo made one of the most iconic catches of the 2015 season: The Tarp Catch.
As a ball sliced off the bat Ryan Braun and drifted towards foul territory on the first base side, Rizzo started drifting closer and closer to the stands … er, the tarp in front of the stands. He stepped up onto the tarp, made a beautifully focused catch and fell backwards into the crowd. Brilliant.
But now, almost exactly one year later (August 16, 2016), against the same team, at the same stadium, with the same pitcher on the mound and almost the same score, he’s done it again. The Brewers must really be getting sick of his crap.
Check out both catches, back-to-back:
Which catch is better? I have a feeling the tarp catch from 2015 is a bit flashier, but the ledge catch from last night is a bit more challenging. Standing on the corner of a concrete wall with cleats on like that just cannot be easy, but Rizzo looks like a ballerina* up there.
Check them out in .gif form, and decide:
Stuck the landing. https://t.co/rFoNQk8tj4
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 13, 2015
.@ARizzo44's got range.https://t.co/2MJ9iSzFyt
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 17, 2016
I’m still not sure which play is better, but I do know one thing: that Anthony Rizzo fella sure is something special. And hey, he’s not stranger to the tarp:
*Looks like ballerina in gracefulness only. Please do not beat me up, Mr. Rizzo.