The top of the second inning brought trouble for Luis Severino and the Mets in game two of the NLCS, but it also brought one of the greatest catches of the MLB season thanks to Tyrone Taylor.
With one out and runners on the corners for the Dodgers, Tommy Edman launched a drive into the right-center field gap, and it appeared ticketed for the alley and a likely two-run extra-base hit. Instead, Taylor covered a load of ground, slid on the warning track while simultaneously evading a charging Starling Marte from right field, and made the outstretched catch to limit the damage to a sacrifice fly.
The Citi Field crowd audibly gasped in unison, then again when the replay was shown on the video board in center field. Meanwhile, those watching from home gathered on social media to express their amazement at the improbable grab that prevented a rough inning from becoming an all-out disaster.
Taylor and Marte even collided as Taylor was hitting the ground, but he still managed to hang onto the ball while helicoptering near the wall in center field.
Taylor’s sparkling catch couldn’t have come at a better time for the Mets defense, which had suffered all kinds of miscues earlier in the inning. Francisco Alvarez elected to go for a force out at second on a dribbler in front of the plate instead of taking the easy out at first, and threw the ball wide of Jose Iglesias at second base. Then Severino bobbled what looked to be a certain 1-6-3 double play, and the Mets had to settle for just one out. Another comebacker to the mound glanced off Severino’s glove, allowing the first run of the game to score.
But it could have been a lot worse had it not been for Taylor in center field.