Oakland Athletics rookie center fielder Denzel Clarke didn’t just make a great catch on Monday night; he nearly scaled the outfield wall at Angel Stadium to do it. His incredible feat robbed the Los Angeles Angels’ Nolan Schanuel of a sure home run, leaving everyone stunned.
In the first inning of the A’s 7-4 loss to the Angels, Schanuel launched a deep shot to center. Clarke, tracking the ball, raced back to the wall, climbed up it, and launched himself skyward, somehow snatching the ball back from beyond the fence. Schanuel and virtually everyone on the field reacted with pure disbelief.
This spectacular grab follows another ridiculous catch by Clarke just days prior. On Friday in Sacramento, he made a full-speed, body-contorting catch into the outfield wall at Sutter Health Park. While that one looked more painful, Clarke emerged thankfully unscathed.
Monday’s game marked only Clarke’s 16th MLB appearance since his call-up from Triple-A earlier this season. The 25-year-old, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, entered the contest with a .224 batting average, one home run, and three RBIs.
Despite Clarke’s early heroics, the Angels secured a comfortable win. They scored three runs in the third inning and added a solo homer from Jo Adell in the fourth. Although the A’s got on the board with a two-run shot from JJ Bleday in the eighth, it was too late. The Angels padded their lead with three more runs in the eighth, ultimately holding on for a three-run victory despite a late two-run homer from Max Muncy in the ninth. The loss dropped the A’s to 26-42 for the season.
With just a handful of MLB games under his belt, Clarke already boasts two incredible “Catch of the Year” contenders. What a way for the young outfielder to begin his big-league career.