Inside The Phillies

Phillies Outfielder Makes Miraculous Catch After Losing Ball in Sun

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh explained his mind-blowing catch.

Tyler Maher

Jul 30, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh catches a ball or an out.
Jul 30, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh catches a ball or an out. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

For a baseball outfielder, there is nothing more terrifying than losing a fly ball in the sun. The ball could be anywhere, which means it could land anywhere. The only thing a player can do in that situation is make his best guess where the ball might land, stick out his glove and hope for the best.

That's the helpless feeling Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh felt during Sunday's 6-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.

With the Phillies clinging to a 1-0 lead, Jorge Polanco led off the bottom of the seventh with a deep fly ball to center field off Zack Wheeler. Marsh read it well off the bat, racing back to the wall in right-center.

But while the ball was still in flight, he simply lost sight of it. He leaned back to avoid getting hit and randomly stuck out his glove. Luckily enough, the ball landed in it, much to his surprise.

Had the ball dropped, it easily would have been an extra-base hit for Polanco that might have set up a big inning for the Mariners. Instead, it was just a long (384 feet) and surprisingly entertaining out to kick off another scoreless inning.

The sun often gets tricky in the later innings as it gets lower in the sky, so Marsh can be forgiven for losing track of it. Even the best, most experienced outfielders lose balls in the sun from time to time. It happens.

After the game, Marsh thanked his lucky stars for helping him make the catch.

"I literally had my arms out, and the baseball gods put the ball right in my glove," he told Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Marsh was simply in the right place at the right time, and in this case, that was enough.

Published
Tyler Maher

TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

Home/News