One Man Saved the Game

Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell delivered one of the most extraordinary defensive performances in MLB history on Friday, robbing three home runs in a single game to preserve a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners — the club's first home win of the season. No outfielder has ever recorded three home run robberies in a single game.

Three Catches, Three Innings

Adell opened the night in the first inning by leaping at the right-field wall to deny Cal Raleigh, whose drive left the bat at 104.7 mph with a 28-degree launch angle — a homer in 20 other parks. In the eighth, he duplicated the feat against Josh Naylor's would-be game-tying shot, a ball that Statcast projected as a homer in 10 other stadiums.

The defining moment came in the ninth. With closer Jordan Romano on the mound, J.P. Crawford drove a slider down the right-field line. Adell sprinted, launched himself into the stands, and caught the ball before his legs crossed the wall — a catch upheld after video review. The drive would have been a homer in 23 other parks.

A Standing Ovation from Teammates

Nine-time Gold Glove winner Torii Hunter, a special assistant with the club, called it "the greatest defensive game I've ever seen." Closer Jordan Romano said he had never gone "from so sad to so happy so quickly." Manager Kurt Suzuki summed it up simply: "It was the Jo Show." Adell, a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, said the third catch came down to pure grit: "Top of the ninth, just getting it done."