If the catch of the year happens in a late September baseball game between the Orioles and Blue Jays that maybe a few hundred people on Earth watched live, is it still the catch of the year?
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came to the plate with a chance to hit the third consecutive homer of the inning. He just about did that, blasting a pitch to deep right center, but Orioles center fielder Austin Hays got way up and reached wayyyyy over the fence to bring it back.
It was a great catch! Hays was stoked. Gabriel Ynoa was stoked. The 13 fans in attendance were stoked. Hell, even Guerrero Jr. was pretty stoked!
To hell with the sad and meaningless setting in which this cool baseball moment occurred. I’m calling it the catch of the year!