It looks like Torii Hunter is up to his old tricks again. Hunter went up and single-handedly saved the Angels 4-3 win against the Kansas City Royals with his circus catch in the 9th inning. It’s not like this is the first time he’s taken away a home-run from the opposition, but it still doesn’t get old.
I have to warn you—the entire video is just weird. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great, game saving catch (that’s why its here in the first place). But there’s something about the highlight that just seems “off.” Maybe it’s the pink wristbands that Hunter is wearing in honor of Mothers Day/Breast Cancer Awareness. Maybe it’s that he made the catch right in front of Big Thunder Mountain. Or maybe it’s because a catcher for the Royals that’s hitting something like .220 almost went deep on the new closer of one of the AL favorites. Eh, it’s a good catch.
Something that Angels fans might want to start worrying about is their brand new closer though. I completely understand when they let K-Rod bounce to grab his payday somewhere else. But if they want to be a serious contender for the pennant this year (and even the AL West), they might want to address their Closer problem. Brian Fuentes is 0-2 with an ERA 5.40. Oh, and the opponents are hitting just a hair under .300 off him for the season (.298). That’s not exactly the kind of shutdown closer that strikes fear into the opposition, is it? I mean, Miguel Olivo hit the ball 395 feet in a tight 1-run game.
Just think if that was someone like Kevin Youkilis, Ivan Longoria or A-Rod! If it’s one of those guys (the kind of guys that the Angels would face in October), Torii Hunter isn’t bringing that ball back. Tony Reagins might want to give his bullpen personnel a little thought if the Angels are going to make the playoffs again this season. Torii Hunter isn’t going to be able to catch EVERY bomb Fuentes gives up!
Here’s Hunter’s early entry for Major League Baseball’s Play of the Year:
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
