NEWSLETTER
I’ll never get tired of outfielders doing amazing things. Whether it’s Kevin Kiermaier robbing home runs at the wall or Jim Edmonds reasserting his dominance in center field, there’s something about the full extensions, dives, leaps and catches that is mesmerizing. The focus, the timing, the risk of looking like a complete fool if you miss – it’s all just overwhelming.
If you are lucky enough to play in the majors and are a talented enough outfielder, you might get 1-3 chances to really flash some leather (successfully) in any given season. But Oakland A’s center fielder Billy Burns did so twice in one game:
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In the first video, he runs deep towards left center field, never quite looking like he’ll come anywhere near the ball. In fact, it looks like he’s downright yielding to left fielder Sam Fulds. But in the final seconds before his dive, you can really see him put it into second gear, get extended and make an amazing catch.
To follow up his first amazing catch of the day, Burns waited just two innings. Tracking a fly ball deep to center field, this hit had “home run” or “triple” written all over it. But after his twisting and turning, Burns makes it to the wall, leaps up in the air and makes yet another fantastic catch in center field.
I don’t know what he did at the plate that day, but if the A’s give out game balls, he should have taken a couple home.
