Ryan McMahon Flips Into Red Sox Dugout to Make Best Catch of the Playoffs So Far

Everything went the Yankees' way for the first eight innings of Thursday's game.
Ryan McMahon, seen here in calmer times, made an extraordinary catch against the Red Sox Thursday.
Ryan McMahon, seen here in calmer times, made an extraordinary catch against the Red Sox Thursday. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Thursday's game between the Red Sox and Yankees was the Cam Schlittler show, as the New York pitcher struck out 12 in a transcendent playoff debut. However, one other Yankee briefly took the spotlight in the eighth inning.

With one out, Boston left fielder Jarren Duran lofted a foul ball straight up in the air down the third-base line. New York third baseman Ryan McMahon attempted to chase it down—only to quickly run out of real estate.

That turned out to be no matter, as McMahon snared the ball inside the Red Sox dugout—tumbling inside and just barely bracing himself with his hands to prevent injury.

The catch instantly recalled some of the Yankees' finest-ever postseason defensive plays, such as shortstop Derek Jeter's flip play in 2001 against the Athletics.

McMahon ranks 20th in defensive bWAR among active players—he led the National League in the category with the Rockies in 2021—but some plays are too good to truly quantify.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .