Washington Nationals star Jacob Young produced one of the best catches of all-time during their 3-2 win over the New York Mets on Sunday.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Mets star Bret Baty hit a deep fly ball down center field that looked as though it would cause Young problems – but he had other ideas.
The Nationals center fielder hurriedly backpedaled to make the catch but, as he did, collided with the outfield padding which caused the ball to pop out of his glove.
However, Young’s quick-thinking saw him instantly react and kick the ball high into the air before catching it once again for the out.
The 26-year-old looked as shocked as everyone else inside Citi Field after making the catch and briefly raised his arms in celebration.
The incident went viral shortly afterwards as fans hurried to social media to shower Young with praise.
Nationals star Jacob Young produced a stunning catch after kicking the ball in the air
Fans on social media were left stunned and a clip of the incident quickly went viral
One fan wrote: ‘I’m going to quit saying I seen everything on a baseball field now!’
Another said: ‘I’m legitimately in awe of this catch. Best I’ve ever seen’. Similarly, another wrote: ‘Thats one of the most impressive plays I’ve ever seen’.
One fan couldn’t hold back the expletives, as they wrote: Holy s*** what f***ing concentration to be able to kick that ball to himself and catch it’.
The incredible moment helped the Nationals seal a series win over the Mets and put a potential dent into their playoff hopes.
It came after a thrilling second inning for the Nationals – where Jorge Alfaro opened the scoring with an RBI double before Nasim Nunez hit a two-run homer.
The win hardly mattered for Washington, who improved their record to 64-92. However, they remain bottom of the NL East Division.
