Colby Thomas turned the right-field wall at Sutter Health Park into both a launch pad and a crash mat with his breathtaking catch against the Los Angeles Angels.
The A’s outfielder paid the price for the out, landing hard on the warning track after making the play.
Pat McAfee loved every bit of the commitment.
Colby Thomas catch earns Pat McAfee back-breaking praise
McAfee wrote after SportsCenter shared the clip of Thomas robbing Angels slugger Jo Adell in the first inning of Sunday’s game.
“Love the full commitment of a back-breaking snag.”
It was an easy play to admire from a distance and a brutal one to make in real time. Adell drove a ball deep to right, Thomas sprinted back, timed his jump at the short wall, caught it above the padding, landed across the top of the fence, and then crashed back down hard onto the warning track.
The catch ended the top of the first and took a solo home run away from Adell. MLB reported that the ball left the bat at 96.5 mph and would have been a homer in 14 other ballparks.
Jack Perkins celebrated on the mound, and the crowd in West Sacramento gave Thomas a standing ovation. The A’s then rode that early jolt into a three-run bottom of the first.
The frustrating part is that the highlight did not become a win. Los Angeles came back to beat the Athletics 9-7, with the A’s falling to 38-40 after losing a game they once led 4-0.
Thomas is still finding consistency at the plate, hitting .226 with two home runs, six RBI and a .628 OPS this season, but his athleticism is real. He was a third-round pick out of Mercer in 2022 and has already shown enough power and defensive range to remain part of the A’s outfield picture.
Colby Thomas catch joins crowded MLB best-of list
The season already has real competition for catch of the year.
Jo Adell still owns the wildest defensive game, robbing three Mariners homers in a 1-0 Angels win in April. Cody Bellinger turned a misjudged ball into a circus catch off his wrist for the Yankees. Drew Gilbert robbed Andrew Vaughn at the right-center wall for the Giants on June 4.
Thomas’ case is different because of the full-body cost. Some catches are cleaner. Some are more important. Few look more painful.
Adell’s three robberies probably keep the top spot because of volume and game impact. But for one single collision between timing, courage, and a wall, Thomas has a real argument.
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