NEW YORK – Aaron Judge called it “incredible,” saying that he’d never seen anything like it before on a baseball diamond. Aaron Boone described it as “probably our play of the year so far.” Paul Goldschmidt marveled at the throw, referring to it as “an absolute cannon.”
Bellinger charged fearlessly for Juan Soto’s sinking seventh-inning liner, snaring a shoestring catch before firing a strike to first base that doubled off Francisco Lindor, shifting momentum as the Yankees held on for a 6-4 Subway Series win over the Mets on Sunday at Citi Field.
“It was definitely a tough play; those ones are low and kind of hard to read,” Bellinger said. “But in that moment, I felt like I could go get it. It was going to be a close play. I had a good beat on it, a good jump. I was just glad I was able to get it before it hit the ground.”
The Bombers had lost six straight, their bullpen running on fumes, and their advantage appeared tenuous when Mark Leiter Jr. hit Lindor to open the inning. Soto followed with a 105 mph rocket to left field off an 86.2 mph splitter.
From Bellinger’s position, Statcast gave the catch just a 30 percent catch probability – he needed to cover 29 feet in 2.7 seconds. Off the bat, Boone said his gut reaction was: “Not good. Not good.” Goldschmidt expected a single.
Yes, playing it on a hop might have been safer, yielding a hit. But that would have given the Mets two on with none out, and with Pete Alonso due up. Instead, Bellinger dashed forward. No safety net. If the ball skipped past him, it was going all the way to the 358-foot marker.
“Especially a guy like Soto – I’ve seen him hit so many line drives over outfielders’ heads when they come in too hard,” Judge said.
But Bellinger made the play, snagging Soto’s drive in the webbing of his glove just before it kissed the grass. In one motion, he unleashed a rocket to double off Lindor, who remarked: “That one definitely hurt us.”
“It was just all around a perfect play,” Judge said. “We needed it, especially in that spot. That was a game-saving play.”
Goldschmidt said he’d be curious to learn Bellinger’s velocity on the toss. Statcast clocked it at 89.9 mph, humming past Lindor.
“Somehow the throw was right on the money,” Goldschmidt said. “Right over his shoulder.”
The Mets challenged, giving Bellinger ample opportunity to watch replays on the large center-field scoreboard as the crowd oohed and ahhed – half thrilled, half deflated, depending on which side of the rivalry they landed. During the delay, Trent Grisham offered Bellinger a low-five in admiration.
“The throw was even more impressive than the play,” said Jazz Chisholm Jr., who watched from the top step of the dugout railing. “It’s one of the toughest plays – and one of the best plays – I’ve seen.”
Bellinger won a National League Gold Glove Award in 2019 playing right field for the Dodgers. Boone recalled their first offseason conversation as including these words: “Don’t worry about where you play me. I love it. I don’t care.”
That versatility has paid off. Bellinger has started this season in left field (31 games), center field (26 games), right field (20 games) and at first base (one game).
“I got a lot of work in Spring Training knowing I was going to play everywhere,” Bellinger said. “Ultimately, it’s just staying confident and trying to get the best jumps possible.”
The dazzler helped conclude what Boone has called a “terrible week” on a high note, coming after the Yankees were swept in a four-game series by the Blue Jays in Toronto before dropping the first two in Queens.
Austin Wells and Judge hit early homers to support Max Fried, who navigated five-plus innings of three-run ball. Judge’s homer was his 33rd, two behind the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh for the Major League lead.
Judge and Goldschmidt contributed sharp defensive plays, too. Judge made an inning-ending dive to rob Starling Marte of a sixth-inning hit, while Goldschmidt turned a slick unassisted double play on Tyrone Taylor’s eighth-inning grounder.
But Bellinger’s might have added staying power.
“We’ll be seeing that highlight for a while,” Judge said.
