A week or so ago, the Toronto Blue Jays blanked the Texas Rangers 3-0.
Brett Cecil tossed a complete game shutout for the Jays and was aided by a terrific catch in the outfield by Jose Bautista.
The catch by Bautista was described in detail on our Canadian Press service, so I checked the Jays website and watched the replay of Bautista’s diving catch, and it truly was a great defensive play.
But here’s the thing….
Earlier that same day at the ISC Eastern Canada Travel League playoffs in Owen Sound, I saw a far better catch.
In the semifinals, the Jarvis Travellers led the Brick Brothers Volkswagen Junior Selects 2-1 in the bottom of the 6th.
With one out & one on, Greg Counyea of Jarvis delivered a blast to right-center field which threatened to break the game open.
At the crack of the bat, Owen Sound centrefielder Brandon Parks got up to full speed, extended and caught the blast on the dead run.
His momentum caused him to tumble and roll twice while hanging on to the ball, and he came out of the rolls and fired to first to try and double up the Jarvis runner.
As often can be the case, this tremendous play didn’t affect the outcome of the game, but in my eyes, the catch by Brandon Parks was every bit as spectacular, maybe more spectacular, than the big league catch by Bautista.
I’m Fred Wallace