Boston Red Sox rookie center fielder/shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela has been an absolute joy to watch in the field. He's made some unbelievable plays, making most of them look fairly easy.
In the fifth inning of a tie game between Boston and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Monday night, Rafaela tracked a Maikel Garcia fly ball to deep center field and made arguably the best catch that we've seen this season.
CEDDANNE RAFAELA! WHAT A FREAK! pic.twitter.com/WOgQz35i01
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) August 6, 2024
Rafaela had to run a long way to get to the ball, and he probably could've made things a bit easier for himself, but he was able to secure the catch despite his arm being him as he jumped toward the wall.
The ball had a .670 expected batting average.
"The sky, I couldn't see the ball perfectly. So the first few steps were in," Rafaela told NESN's Tom Caron. "He put a good swing, so I sprinted back and tried to make a good catch. ... I didn't see the ball from the bat, so it was a tough one."
The Red Sox went on to win the game 9-5, and Rafaela also got on base twice in his four at-bats. His play is helping this team do things that many thought were impossible earlier in the year.
