Major League Baseball may have already witnessed its 'Catch of the Year' winner after Eli White went airborne for the Texas Rangers on Monday.
The 6'3" utility had little choice but to take flight in order to prevent Tampa Bay Rays star Ji-man Choi from scoring the first points of their series. It proved a worthy sacrifice, too, as the Rangers went on to triumph 9-5 at Globe Life Field.
Choi, 31, surely felt the home run was his after launching a cannon to left-centre field with team-mates on first and second bases. But a scrambling White got back in time to somehow mitt the ball, sending commentators and the 25,600 spectators into raptures.
The boundary at Globe Life Field stand around seven feet, and White caught the ball several feet above that marker. It therefore wouldn't be outrageous to suggest the 27-year-old might have broke 10 feet to deny Choi, a remarkable feat considering his starting point in centre field.
“It's like he just kept going up," said Rangers manager Chris Woodward after the result. “I thought he jumped up too early, and he just kept rising.”
White watched the clip back with reporters following the match and smiled widely as he commented: "That's awesome." Even opponent Choi appeared to concur with that assessment in real time, grinning despite his would-be home run being scratched off in such sensational style.
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“That was definitely the best play I’ve ever made,” added White, who has struggled for prominence since joining Texas in 2020. “It was the kind of play I’ve been dreaming about making ever since I've made the transition to outfield.”
Commentators asked the question live as to how the former Clemson University prospect reached the ball as it erred over the fence. "Look at the vertical," commented another. "He's got to be over that fence by three or four feet, just pure athleticism from Eli White. Oh, my goodness!"
The Rangers beat the Rays again on Tuesday (3-0) before falling 3-4 at home the following night, with their four-game series set to wrap up on Thursday. Texas occupy third in the American League West as things stand, while Tampa Bay are third in the East, five wins behind the leading New York Yankees.
