Giants outfielder Mike Tauchman made an unlikely game-saving catch on a deep fly off the bat of the legendary Albert Pujols on Friday night, preserving a ninth-inning tie before San Francisco went on to win in extra innings.
With two out and the game tied at 5 in the bottom of the ninth, Pujols connected on what looked to be a possible solo walkoff home run off Giants reliever Tyler Rogers. Pujols admired his blast, apparently ready for a long, slow jaunt around the bases -- but Tauchman had other ideas.
Tauchman ranged back under the high-arcing fly and reached over the wall back-handed to bring it back onto the field. The 30-year-old journeyman, acquired from the Yankees earlier this year, appeared to be shaken, briefly laying on his back on the warning track after a hard crash into the wall in left-center-field at Dodger Stadium.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the game that Tauchman's nifty grab was "one of the better catches we've seen all season."
Tauchman said he knew the ball was well hit off the bat, and raced to the spot where he thought it was headed in order to make a possible play on it.
"You can never really tell, but I think any time you're going back, or after anything, you want to go hard at first to keep yourself from drifting. I got to the spot to time my jump," Tauchman said. "Sometimes the ball goes in and sometimes it doesn't. I happened to make a play for the boys."
Pujols, 41, has 668 career home runs, including one since joining the Dodgers following his apparently acrimonious departure from the Los Angeles Angels. In 10 games with the Dodgers, Pujols is hitting .200/.250/.333, in 32 plate appearances.
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