Texas Rangers outfielder Eli White may have made the catch of the year in Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. During the first inning of the contest, Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi got ahold of a Glenn Otto pitch and it looked to be headed over the fence.
However, White had other ideas. He scaled the wall and reached high over the fence to rob Choi of what would've been a three-run home run. Take a look at the jaw-dropping play:
Halfway up the wall?! This was an ELIte catch! pic.twitter.com/q4MRtD4pxC
— MLB (@MLB) May 31, 2022
"It was definitely the best play I've ever made," White said after the game. "As I was tracking it, I felt good about where I was, but honestly [I] didn't know if I could get it at first. I just jumped as high as I could. It was a really fun play."
Choi, in an unlucky twist, did send the ball to the deepest part of Globe Life Field. He smacked the ball an estimated 405 feet before White brought it back.
"The amount of extension he got and the vertical -- I don't know if we have any numbers on that -- but I've never seen or been a part of anything like it," Otto added. "He's one of the most athletic guys I've been around. Maybe he's Spider-Man. I [have to] ask that question. … It saved me honestly. "
As if the home run robbery wasn't enough, White also slugged a two-run home run in the second inning to put the Rangers ahead 4-1. White, who hit ninth in the lineup on Monday, went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored in a 9-5 Rangers victory. His three hits matched a career high.
"That play was one of the best I've ever seen," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "Just how high he got. He just kept going up, he kept rising. I've said this many times, [but] this guy is the best athlete we have in the organization, so it's not surprising at all."
