Why They Love Joe Mauer in Minnesota

Here’s video of the catch Joe Mauer made yesterday on a foul pop-up where he reached around the netting behind homeplate to make a snow-cone catch.  Just a fantastic play from a guy who always seems to know what he’s doing on a baseball field.

One of the joys of professional sports is the way the games evolve, and the fact that sometimes you get to see something you’ve never seen before.

I saw a play a couple of weeks ago (I think it was the A’s game on May 21at) where Freddie Sanchez hit a ball into right center.  RF Ryan Sweeney cut the ball off before it got into the gap, but Sanchez tried to stretch the hit into a double.

The throw had Sanchez beat, but Sanchez sliding headfirst on the inside part of the bag away from the throw was somehow able to pull his right arm back so that when Adam Rosales went to apply the tag, the right hand wasn’t there to tag.  Instead, Sanchez grabbed the bag with his left hand and was called safe.

It was an amazing play, and one I can’t remember having seen before.  Like with Mauer’s play yesterday, it didn’t figure in the outcome (both the Twins and Giants lost those games).  Still, it was an amazing play that made me take notice.  Sorry — I couldn’t find video of Sanchez’s play, so you’ll have to take my word for the fact that it was a doosy.