WATCH: Mookie Betts makes spectacular home-run stealing catch
The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar outfielder Mookie Betts made a spectacular catch in the top of the second inning to steal a home run from Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud. Betts made a leaping catch deep in the right field to keep the game tied at zero.
In an at-bat against d’Arnaud, Dodger’s pitcher Walker Buehler’s first pitch was a rocket. He launched a 94 m.p.h. four-seam fastball right down the middle of the plate. D’Arnaud jumped on the pitch, smashing it deep into the right field. That’s when Betts quickly sprang into action sprinting towards the wall near the foul pole. He made it there just in time to snag the ball before it flew over the wall, saving a homerun and keeping the game tied.
Betts Vs. the Braves
Both the Dodgers and Braves are familiar with these kinds of plays from Betts. Last year in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, Betts made a leaping catch at the wall that robbed Marcell Ozuna of at least an RBI in the fifth inning. That play swung the momentum of the game completely in the Dodgers’ favor. They would go on to win the game 3-1, and ultimately win the series in seven games, on their way to winning the 2020 World Series after that.
The Dodgers are in game two of a three-game homestand against the Atlanta Braves. Both teams are currently battling for playoff positions as they’re coming down to the final stretch of the regular season. Currently, the Dodgers are a game and a half behind the National League West division leader, San Francisco Giants. The Braves on the other hand are 3.5 games up in their division, the National League East. Although the Dodgers have the second-best record in the National League, if the playoffs started today, they would start the post-season in the wild card round.