All Time Great Red Sox Plays

Snodgrass'Muff

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Last night Dustin Pedroia made one of the greatest defensive plays by a Red Sox player I've ever seen happen live (on TV). It might be the best. What he did was simply remarkable. The awareness of his surroundings, the physicality on display of being able to dive for the ball, bare hand it, and make the throw all while in the air. The accuracy of the throw. This is why he will be worth his contract right up until the end even if his bat continues to decline.

Holy shit.

In case you missed it, here's a link to it.

https://mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/mp4/2017/07/04/1570329683/1499142513565/asset_1200K.mp4

Where does this rank for you? What other plays do you put up there with it? I suppose it's worth it to throw non-Sox plays in as well if you want. No reason not to marvel at all the great defense people can dig up clips or memories for.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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Not as athletic or unusal as Pedroia's play, but Yaz throwing Jackson out at 2d in Game 3 was pretty freakin' awesome.
 

drbretto

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I'll bring it up. That was better than the Jeter flip. If that was a playoff game, people wouldn't shut up about that one for years either. That was one of the best plays I've ever seen.
 

drbretto

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Coco Crisp. The gif doesn't even do it justice. It was a perfect jump. This was the best outfield catch I've ever seen live.

Edit: switched out for a better video that does the play more justice.
 

Blue Monkey

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Dwight Evans World Series Double Play


Bruno Clinches the East


While Pedey's play showed remarkable instinct and skill, it loses points to these two simply due to the fact that it occurred in a normal game. Nothing was on the line here. Maybe we will look back on this game at some point, like we do with The Pro Walk off vs Fruitbat, as the turning point of the season. Will Pedey's play stand the test of time? Will it be remembered 5, 10, 20 years from now? Maybe... time will tell.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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Well, I didn't say most important plays. If we're evaluating the quality of these plays instead of their contextual importance, Pedey's play last night beats all of these, with only Coco's catch being close, IMO.

If we're going to start from the position that importance to a season or playoff run is the starting point for assessing greatness, then we can pretty much throw out 95% of defensive plays ever made. And that would be a terrible shame.

Edit: And it's not like anyone thinks this play isn't an all time great because it happened in a relatively meaningless game in early August, after all.

 
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drbretto

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While Pedey's play showed remarkable instinct and skill, it loses points to these two simply due to the fact that it occurred in a normal game. Nothing was on the line here. Maybe we will look back on this game at some point, like we do with The Pro Walk off vs Fruitbat, as the turning point of the season. Will Pedey's play stand the test of time? Will it be remembered 5, 10, 20 years from now? Maybe... time will tell.

It *shouldn't* lose points for that, but in the real world we inhabit, it might. It won't be forgotten, though. Regular season or not, it's such a unique, once in a lifetime play that it will be in every Pedroia or Red Sox highlight reel for years.
 

bankshot1

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Watching Pedey's play Jeter/Giambi came immediately to mind..

But to the thread title I might go back to the '67 season and submit the

Jose Tartabull to Elston Howard catch/play at the plate to nab ChiSox's Ken Berry in the heat of the pennant race.
 

uk_sox_fan

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About as meaningless a game as you can have (Sep 26, 2012: TB @ Bos with Bobby Valentine's 69-86 Red Sox long since eliminated and the 84-70 Rays 3 games out of the final WC slot with 8 games to play - they'd finish 3 games out despite going 6-2 the rest of the way). Top of the 5th with Evan Longoria leading off against Jon Lester and the Rays trailing 1-0. Rookie Jose Iglesias is playing shortstop...

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/9782246/v25106387/tbbos-iglesias-robs-longoria-from-deep-in-the-hole
 

TheoShmeo

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I am on my phone and can't at this moment post a clip, but Pokey Reese's catch in the Sox-MFYs game made famous by Jeter's face plant into the stands and Nomar's ass plant in the dugout remains one of the more remarkable defensive plays by a Red Sox player that I can recall.

I was sitting a few rows behind the Sox dugout. When the ball that Jeter caught left Nixon's bat, I thought based on its speed and trajectory that it would be caught. That Jeter had to or chose to take a header surprised me but the result did not. Conversely, I thought there was no way that anyone would catch the ball that Pokey snagged.

That smacks of homerism and I don't deny that I see the world with Sox colored glasses. But as a former catcher, I routinely decide immediately if a ball will be caught (and of course am not always right). I was pretty shocked that Reese made catch.

I hope someone is able to post it.
 

simplicio

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Talking about awareness, maybe even better than Pedroia.
Yes! That initial footage, of Gomes completely lost and Holt diving into the frame for the catch, is my favorite baseball clip ever. Drama, humor, a plot twist and superior athleticism in the space of five seconds, and that was his first play in center? Unbelievable.

Brock was the best reason to watch this team for a couple bad years there. Get well soon dude.
 

drbretto

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I am on my phone and can't at this moment post a clip, but Pokey Reese's catch in the Sox-MFYs game made famous by Jeter's face plant into the stands and Nomar's ass plant in the dugout remains one of the more remarkable defensive plays by a Red Sox player that I can recall.

I was sitting a few rows behind the Sox dugout. When the ball that Jeter caught left Nixon's bat, I thought based on its speed and trajectory that it would be caught. That Jeter had to or chose to take a header surprised me but the result did not. Conversely, I thought there was no way that anyone would catch the ball that Pokey snagged.

That smacks of homerism and I don't deny that I see the world with Sox colored glasses. But as a former catcher, I routinely decide immediately if a ball will be caught (and of course am not always right). I was pretty shocked that Reese made catch.

I hope someone is able to post it.


Even though it was a loss, that was probably the best regular season game I've ever seen.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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I am on my phone and can't at this moment post a clip, but Pokey Reese's catch in the Sox-MFYs game made famous by Jeter's face plant into the stands and Nomar's ass plant in the dugout remains one of the more remarkable defensive plays by a Red Sox player that I can recall.

I was sitting a few rows behind the Sox dugout. When the ball that Jeter caught left Nixon's bat, I thought based on its speed and trajectory that it would be caught. That Jeter had to or chose to take a header surprised me but the result did not. Conversely, I thought there was no way that anyone would catch the ball that Pokey snagged.

That smacks of homerism and I don't deny that I see the world with Sox colored glasses. But as a former catcher, I routinely decide immediately if a ball will be caught (and of course am not always right). I was pretty shocked that Reese made catch.

I hope someone is able to post it.

No doubt Reese's catch was superior to Jeter's. For one, Reese catches it at the wall whereas Jeter caught his while still in fair territory. Ball, wall, and Reese all met at the same time, and Jeter got two steps after his catch before making his dive. Such a travesty that Jeter gets immortalized and Reese forgotten.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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No doubt Reese's catch was superior to Jeter's. For one, Reese catches it at the wall whereas Jeter caught his while still in fair territory. Ball, wall, and Reese all met at the same time, and Jeter got two steps after his catch before making his dive. Such a travesty that Jeter gets immortalized and Reese forgotten.
I thought he was talking about the leap up to catch the line drive over his head.
 

uk_sox_fan

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I think we can all agree that Reese was far superior to Jeter in almost every way a ballplayer can be. The man retired as a champion after all. ;)
 

TheoShmeo

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I thought he was talking about the leap up to catch the line drive over his head.
Nope. It was the catch that has been posted. Thanks for doing that.

The tension in the Toilet during that game exceeded that of any regular season baseball game I've ever experienced.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Talking about awareness, maybe even better than Pedroia.
That might be my favorite, if only for the random way Holt enters the corner of the frame, like Zelig invading a Nintendo game.

OTOH, I love this one, not only for the ridiculous acrobatics (necessitated, it's true, by a bit of a rookie route) but for the hilarious expression on Machado's face at the end, looking like a 6-year-old who just found out he can't have that puppy after all:

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/51231442/v34359021

For non-Pedey infield play, it's hard to beat this one in my book:

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/94787060/v31165757/?query=Stephen+Drew+defense+2013

So smoooooth.....

(I seem to have forgotten how to embed MLB.com videos, sorry....)
 

grimshaw

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That JBJ one is amazing. He never looks back once to see where the wall is, knowing exactly how much room he has. That's part of what makes him so great.
 

TheoShmeo

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Maybe a little recency bias but Benintendi's catch last season against Tamper was pretty slick. (Just returned home and was able to come up with it.)

 

edoug

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That might be my favorite, if only for the random way Holt enters the corner of the frame, like Zelig invading a Nintendo game.

OTOH, I love this one, not only for the ridiculous acrobatics (necessitated, it's true, by a bit of a rookie route) but for the hilarious expression on Machado's face at the end, looking like a 6-year-old who just found out he can't have that puppy after all:

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/51231442/v34359021

For non-Pedey infield play, it's hard to beat this one in my book:

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/94787060/v31165757/?query=Stephen+Drew+defense+2013

So smoooooth.....

(I seem to have forgotten how to embed MLB.com videos, sorry....)
"like Zelig invading a Nintendo game." Bravo SH.
The look on Machado's face is priceless. 2 for 2 Mr. Hillbilly
 

54thMA

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I've got two; the catch Yaz made in 1967 at the old toilet to keep a no hitter going and Fred Lynn's spectacular sliding catch at Shea in 1975 vs the Yankees as the Sox took three of four from the MFY's and buried them for good that year. Jim Rice hurdled over Lynn and good thing too as if they collided, Lynn would have died.
 

curly2

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A different one from Lynn. This one ran on the closing credits of "This Week in Baseball" for years.

 

Minneapolis Millers

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Agree about 10di's catch last year. A lot like Reese's - full out sprint to a certain collision with the wall. Those catches are better than most dives because of the sacrifice to one's body/well-being needed to make the play. Holt's catch was physically easier. Plenty of time to track it and to realize that Gomes had no play on it. But there was no wall or other player to collide with - just go and get it. Its value was in the surprise - no one but Holt realized where that ball was going.

Crisp's WR-like catch is an exception. No wall or other player to contend with, but diving straight back and landing on your head is also not fun. Unless you catch it, of course. ;)
 

twibnotes

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I loved it when Billy Hatcher stole home. Such an exciting play and, at the time, so out of character for the Red Sox.
 

bosockboy

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Manny robbing Miguel Cairo who had completed a full HR trot. Not for nothing, this is also the famous Fruitbat "catch the ball" game.
 

RoDaddy

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Yeah, some memorable Impossible Dream plays including that Yaz catch during Rohr's no-hitter bid and the Tartabull throw, and also, George Scott's catch of a line drive when he ran in expecting a bunt (was that '67?). I heard Curt Gowdy once say that 3 of the greatest catches he ever saw were by Jimmy Piersall so maybe someone who saw Piersall play remembers these? And Petrocelli made some great plays as a SS, one game that I was at in the 70s making a miraculous catch and then throwout when he was on the ground
 

ifmanis5

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A different one from Lynn. This one ran on the closing credits of "This Week in Baseball" for years.

Great call back. As is below, Fisk not only holding on but getting a few punches in as well.

As far as great defensive plays against the Sox, Ken Griffey and Jay Buhner come to mind.
 

bankshot1

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I remember as a 12 year old kid, my mom was driving me to a dentist appointment.. We were were listening to the Sox game, (probably either Gowdy or Martin doing the call, don't remember), but Dick Williams (yup that one) was at bat for the Sox and he hit a shot to right that sounded gone. All of a sudden (lets go with Ned) Martin starts in with a description of the greatest catch he's ever seen. Al Luplow, a journey-man player, was the Indian RF, made a leaping back-handed grab of the line shot, and went diving over the wall to rob Dick Williams. I was thinking I need to watch Don Gillis tonight to see this greatest catxh ever.
.
Sadly, here was no 6pm film to be seen of this legendary catch. I don't think it exists. Its probably just as well, as a grainy black and white film of the catch would probably have diminished the legend of Luplow's catch .
 
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Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....

tims4wins

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Coco Crisp. The gif doesn't even do it justice. It was a perfect jump. This was the best outfield catch I've ever seen live.

Edit: switched out for a better video that does the play more justice.
I was there too sitting in the 3B grandstand. Unbelievable play