ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell misplayed a flyball into a bizarre home run off his head Tuesday night, a play reminiscent of José Canseco's embarrassing gaffe 33 years ago.
Adell reached up to catch TJ Rumfield's deep fly for the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning, but the ball grazed the outside of his glove before bouncing off his head and over the wall for a solo homer.
There was brief confusion on the field when the ball caromed back into the outfield. Rumfield stopped at second base, initially unsure of the ruling, before proceeding around the bases to give Colorado an 8-0 lead on the way to an 8-2 victory.
It was similar to an infamous blunder on May 26, 1993, when Canseco, then playing for the Texas Rangers, lost track of a long drive hit by Cleveland's Carlos Martínez. The ball bounced off Canseco's head and over the right-field wall for a home run.
Rumfield's gift homer ended the night for Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez, who gave up three homers and eight runs in 3 2/3 innings.
The play also stood in stark contrast to some of Adell's fielding exploits this season, including a game in which he robbed the Seattle Mariners of three would-be home runs. After that one, former Gold Glove outfielder Torii Hunter, now a special assistant to the general manager for the Angels, said Adell had “probably the greatest defensive game I’ve ever seen.”
Adell struggled at times with fielding early in his major league career, including a play during the 2020 season when a deep drive by Rangers outfielder Nick Solak bounced out of Adell's glove for what was ruled a rare four-base error. But Adell has had far more fielding highlights than lowlights since, and he was chosen a Gold Glove finalist in 2024.
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