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Denzel Clarke Confirms His Wild Catch Was Best He's Ever Made

It may end up being the play of the year in MLB.

Kyle Koster

Denzel Clarke made another spectacular catch.
Denzel Clarke made another spectacular catch. / NBC Sports Bay Area
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Athletics rookie outfielder Denzel Clarke has wasted no time establishing himself as one of the most electric defensive players in baseball. Any ball driven to center field must somehow elude his speed and fearless prowess around the fence.

On the heels of capturing honors for a running grab against the Baltimore Orioles last week, Clarke did something even more impressive on Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels when he raced back to rob a home run after climbing the wall like Spider-Man.

Willie Mays once said that he never ranked his catches, he just caught them but the 24-7 content cycle has changed and Clarke was put on the spot to assess where his grab fits compared to the other spectacular defensive plays.

And though he didn't want to say it was the best, he essentially said it was the best.

"I’m always very tentative to say this was the best one," he told reporters after the game. "But I think this is probably the best one I’ve ever made."

The new standard has been set. It's going to be tough to beat. But considering the frequency that Clarke has been providing excellence, he just needs the opportunity.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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