Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell is known for his power bat but put on a show for the ages with his glove in the middle game of the three-game series with the visiting Seattle Mariners.
Adell performed three home run robberies in a single game on Saturday and will look to help the Angels win the series when they close the set against the Mariners on Sunday at Anaheim, Calif.
Zach Neto hit his 10th career leadoff homer for the game’s lone run. The 1-0 victory came one night after neither team scored in the first nine innings before Seattle notched a 3-1 win in 10 innings.
But Saturday night was the “Jo Show,” where a right fielder sometimes chided for his defensive shortcomings put on one of the best outfielder performances of all time.
Adell robbed Cal Raleigh in the first inning, Josh Naylor in the eighth and J.P. Crawford in the ninth with stellar grabs as the Angels collected just their second victory in the past seven games.
“After the first one, the second one was kind of similar, I didn’t know if I was having deja vu,” Adell said. “Sometimes you have to help on the other side of the ball and I’m glad I did my part.”
The third robbery prevented Seattle from tying the game in the ninth. Crawford hit a shot off Jordan Romano that was destined to land in the right-field seats.
Instead, Adell landed in the seats as he spectacularly leaped to catch the ball and fell over the short wall. His glove emerged and he stood up in the stands and displayed he had caught the ball.
“He disappears and he comes up with his glove up,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “… This guy works as hard as anybody I’ve ever been around.”
Mariners manager Dan Wilson played 14 seasons (1992-2005) in the majors and was stunned by what he witnessed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen three in one ballgame before,” Wilson said. “It’s frustrating when you feel like you put a good swing on a ball like that and you drive it like our guys did and you don’t end up with anything to show for it.”
Adell’s theft on Raleigh kept last season’s American League MVP runner-up homerless through nine games. He hit 60 last season.
“You just tip the cap,” Raleigh said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy rob two homers in a game, much less three. So it’s just one of those things where baseball can amaze you night in and night out. You can see something you’ve never seen before.”
The Mariners will send right-hander Luis Castillo (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound Sunday for his second start of the season.
Castillo, 33, tossed six shutout innings against the visiting New York Yankees last Monday. He gave up three hits and two walks and struck out seven in a game Seattle eventually won 2-1.
Castillo is 5-2 with a 2.84 ERA in 11 career starts against the Angels. He is 1-2 with a 4.97 ERA in five outings at Angel Stadium.
Adell has two homers in seven at-bats against Castillo, while Mike Trout (2-for-14, seven strikeouts) and Logan O’Hoppe (0-for-11) have struggled.
Right-hander Ryan Johnson (0-1, 16.20) will be making his second career start for Los Angeles. He was torched in his first for six runs and seven hits over 3 1/3 innings by the Cubs on Monday. Chicago won 7-2.
Johnson, 23, made one relief appearance against Seattle last season and gave up one run and three hits in one inning.
Seattle third baseman Brendan Donovan (groin) sat out Saturday. He was hurt Friday and an MRI exam came back clean.
–Field Level Media
