A History Of Zach Plesac's Amazing Defensive Plays
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There is an old saying that "pitchers aren't athletes." Well, don't say this to Zach Plesac because he is proving that pitchers are in fact athletes with some of the incredible defensive plays he has made during his career.
Yesterday, Plesac was stuck in a two-out jam with runners at the corners. Christian Pache hit a weak ground ball headed for third base and it appeared to be an infield single that was going to score a run.
Coming off the mound, Plesac bare-handed the ball and while fading towards the third base foul line threw a perfect throw to first base to get the runner out.
This play was unbelievable, but making incredible defensive plays such as this one is nothing new for Zach. He has been doing this throughout his career!
Only a few weeks ago, Plesac made an incredible diving play to get out Andrew Benetedni at first. He looked more like a second baseman flipping the ball rather than a pitcher.
Plesac made some incredible defensive plays in 2020 too. He showed off his vertical after Alex Gordon hit a bouncing ball back to the mound and Plesac jumped up and snagged it right out of the air. He tossed it to first completing the play and got the out.
It's not just Plesac's physical ability that makes him an incredible defender. He also has a fantastic reaction time that helps him make these plays. Watch Plesac show off this reaction time with this come-backer hit by Eloy Jimenez. The ball was hit 101 miles per hour, but Plesac made it look like a routine ground ball.
The first play that put the league on notice of Plesac's incredible defense goes all the way back to July 26, 2019, against the Kansas City Royals. Bubba Starling pops a foul ball on the first base side and Plesac sprints in to make a diving catch!
This was before anyone knew or was expecting plays like this from Plesac, making it even more impressive at the moment!
It doesn't matter that he is a pitcher, these plays are incredible and Plesac is aware of it. Yesterday, he joked saying, "These hands are special. I've been telling everybody, I'll cut across the middle and catch something I'm not afraid to get hit."
I think it's safe to say that fans can expect more defensive highlights from Zach Plesac in the future, and I am certainly looking forward to watching them!
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