Twins legend Torii Hunter makes his feelings clear on Athletics rookie's insane home run robbery

MLB fans witnessed one of the best catches of the season, arguably one of the best in recent history, after Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke's insane acrobatics against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

During the first inning of the game, Angels' Nolan Schanuel launched Athletics starter Grant Holman's splitter toward the center field wall. The ball seemed destined to go over the fence but Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke had other ideas.

Clarke scaled the wall and leapt over the fence to grab the ball, while acrobatically holding onto it. His spectacular home run robbery stunned the fans and starter Grant Holman, who was too shocked to speak.

Minnesota Twins legend and former Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, who currently serves as a special assistant to Angels GM Perry Minasian, reacted to the Athletics rookie's play.

"This has to be one of the best catches I've ever seen, and I've seen my share of home run robberies," Hunter wrote on X.

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Hunter's praise carries some weight as he was considered one of the best outfielders of his time. The five-time All-Star won the prestigious Gold Glove Award (2001-2009) for nine consecutive seasons as an outfielder.

Nolan Schanuel reflects on Denzel Clarke's home run robbery

It isn't the first time Denzel Clarke stunned fans with his acrobatics as the Athletics rookie had a spectacular home run robbery against the Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk last month.

Although Nolan Schanuel was robbed, the Angels infielder is content being part of one of the greatest plays in MLB history.

"I sat here for like 10 minutes watching over and over," Schanuel said on the home run robbery. "A bunch of my friends sent it to me. It stings. But it’s kind of like I get a little part of history with it, because we'll see that catch for years and years."

Denzel Clarke's heroics went in vain as the A's dropped the series opener against the Los Angeles Angels 7-4 despite a late rally on Monday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash