ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) \u2014 You\u2019ve done something special when Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner known for his acrobatic catches, calls what you just did \u201cprobably the greatest defensive game I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the praise Hunter heaped on the Los Angeles Angels’ Jo Adell after the right fielder made three homer-robbing catches, the last a spectacular leaping grab while crashing into the seats<\/a> near the right-field foul pole in the ninth inning, in a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners<\/a> on Saturday night.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen three home run robberies in one game, and I\u2019ve never seen a guy on the third one fall into the stands, catch the ball and keep his feet in like he\u2019s a wide receiver,\u201d said the 50-year-old Hunter, a special assistant to the general manager who watched the game from the bench. \u201cI was jumping up and down. I almost passed out.\u201d<\/p>\n Adell, who struggled on defense for several years before transforming into a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, leaped high above the yellow line on the wall in straight-way right field to deny Cal Raleigh of a solo homer in the first inning, and made a nearly identical catch to against Josh Naylor in the eighth.<\/p>\n J.P. Crawford then led off the ninth with a drive toward the right-field corner, where Adell raced toward the ball, leaped to glove it, flipped over the low wall and fell into the first row of seats before holding his glove up to present the catch, which was upheld after a replay review.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the first one, I was pretty fired up,\u201d Adell said. \u201cWhen I got to the second one, which looked identical to the first, I thought, \u2018Wow, my routes are on point tonight.\u2019 The third one was just grit. Top of the ninth, you have to get it done. It was crazy.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just get there, then it\u2019s decision-making. The ball was hit high enough to where I could get there. I watched it (into my glove), fell over and ended up in somebody\u2019s lap. I don\u2019t know who it was, but it was a softer landing than I expected. The fans were as fired up as me.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Inside Edge, Adell has 10 home run robberies since 2020, tied with Kyle Tucker of the Dodgers for the most in the big leagues. The outfielders with the most home run robberies in the entire 2025 season were Jacob Young of the Nationals and Fernando Tatis of the Padres. Both had four.<\/p>\n This was believed to be the first time in baseball history a player has robbed three homers in one game.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was like a movie scene,\u201d Hunter said about Adell\u2019s third catch. \u201cIt was like the music was playing, then he caught the ball, then he went down and we didn\u2019t see him anymore. The music paused, he came up and said, \u2018Yeah!\u2019 I started cheering and almost blacked out.\u201d<\/p>\n Hunter, the former Minnesota Twins, Angels and Detroit Tigers star, has worked extensively with Adell on defense during the past few years.<\/p>\n \u201cHis impact has been huge,\u201d Adell said. \u201cIt\u2019s mental when you\u2019re out there \u2014 it\u2019s a mindset of going to get the baseball, being aggressive. Early, I was caught in between on some plays, and sometimes that happens.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you err on the side of being aggressive and trying to make the plays, you\u2019d be surprised at how many plays you make. That\u2019s the mindset Torii had all those years, winning all those Gold Gloves.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n