Homer-saving catch shows Trout isn't all about offense
It was the Catch of the Day.
Los Angeles Angels rookie Mike Trout added another breath-taking moment to his growing highlight reel Wednesday night, going high over the center field wall at Camden Yards to steal a home run from Baltimore's J.J. Hardy in the first inning of a game the Angels eventually won 13-1 over the Orioles.
"There's no doubt it was as good a catch as you're going to see," manager Mike Scioscia said. "I don't know if I've seen a guy go that high for a ball after running that far."
Trout's long run and high jump culminated with him reaching three or four feet over the wall to make the catch. He quickly thumped his chest in pride, then looked over to nine-time Gold Glove winner Torii Hunter in right field with a wide grin on his face.
"Very impressive. A-plus. I give him a 98," Hunter joked. "Just watching him go up in the air, I got chills. I was pumping my fist. We were high-fiving.
"I had tears in my eyes -- but I'm a man. I don't cry."
Hunter might have been as proud as a father of the 20-year-old Trout, but that didn't make him unique at Camden Yards. Trout's father, Jeff, was at the game, part of a large contingent of family and friends that drove down from his hometown of Millville, N.J., for both of the Angels' games in Baltimore, the closest American League city to the south New Jersey town.
"It's always special when you have your friends and family here watching, and then if you do something special like that, it's a great feeling," Mike Trout said. "They came here to see stuff. Sometimes you try to do some little stuff extra and you get lucky."
As if that weren't enough, Trout also had four hits in the game and scored three runs, running his league-leading batting average to .344.
