Diamondbacks CF Alek Thomas Had Everyone in Awe With the Coolest Catch of the MLB Season

His teammates’ reactions were too good.
Diamondbacks CF Alek Thomas Had Everyone in Awe With the Coolest Catch of the MLB Season
Diamondbacks CF Alek Thomas Had Everyone in Awe With the Coolest Catch of the MLB Season /
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Arizona Diamondbacks centerfielder Alek Thomas delivered a web gem of epic proportions in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s win over the Texas Rangers.

Thomas, a 23-year-old whose heroic catches have caught the eye of plenty of fans across the baseball world this season, may have outdone himself with this one. This time, it was a diving grab that required near full extension on a blast from Marcus Semien into the right-center gap. According to the Diamondbacks’ broadcast, Thomas covered 106 feet in just over five seconds to track down the ball.

Here’s a look at the incredible catch.

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Take a bow, Alek.

Photos of the grab shared by the Diamondbacks on social media make the catch seem all the more impressive. 

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Thomas joked postgame that he hoped the catch would up his sprint speed metrics, which are down slightly this year compared to last year. He ranks in the 86th percentile league-wide in that category in 2023, per Baseball Savant.

The reactions to Thomas’ catch were almost as good as the catch itself.

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Published
Kevin Sweeney
KEVIN SWEENEY

Kevin Sweeney is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college basketball and the NBA draft. He joined the SI staff in July 2021 and also serves host and analyst for The Field of 68. Sweeney is a Naismith Trophy voter and ia member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.