{"id":252997,"date":"2026-04-05T15:11:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T15:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/252997\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T15:11:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T15:11:29","slug":"jo-adell-robs-3-homers-in-angels-1-0-win-the-greatest-defensive-game-ive-ever-seen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/252997\/","title":{"rendered":"Jo Adell robs 3 homers in Angels\u2019 1-0 win: \u2018The greatest defensive game I\u2019ve ever seen\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANAHEIM, Calif. \u2014 There was a brief moment of silence amid the chaos Saturday night. The Los Angeles Angels\u2019 Jo Adell had just toppled over the short wall in right field. It looked like he\u2019d made another home run robbery \u2014 his third of the evening. But he\u2019d also disappeared from view.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until he stuck his glove up, ball secured, that the Angel Stadium crowd realized they\u2019d just officially witnessed one of the all-time defensive performances imaginable. Three home runs were taken away by one player, his leaps securing a 1-0 Angels win over the Seattle Mariners.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just get there, and it\u2019s just decision-making,\u201d Adell said. \u201cJust got there, and was able to fall over and end up in somebody\u2019s lap. I don\u2019t know who, but it was a softer landing than I thought it would be. It\u2019s kind of crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adell\u2019s first home run robbery came on the second batter of the game, when he timed his jump near the right-field wall to prevent what would have been superstar Cal Raleigh\u2019s first long ball of the season. Then in the eighth, Josh Naylor stood and stared, thinking he\u2019d tied the game. Not so fast.<\/p>\n

In the ninth, J.P. Crawford looked like he\u2019d provided his team\u2019s elusive first run. Adell flipped that narrative amid a sea of Angels supporters who have been given minimal reasons to be excited in recent memory.<\/p>\n

All THREE of Jo Adell’s home run robberies from tonight \u2026<\/p>\n

Yes, you read that right \ud83d\ude2e https:\/\/t.co\/bc0Wb9i1Ii<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/axhyQFpLHD<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Inside Edge, the most home run robberies by a single player in the entire 2025 season was four<\/a>. Adell nearly matched it in one night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve ever seen a guy rob two homers in one game, much less three,\u201d Raleigh said. \u201cBaseball can amaze you night in and night out. You can see something you\u2019ve never seen before. I\u2019ve never seen anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Adell first came up to the big leagues in 2020, he was known as a very bad defensive outfielder, worth minus-4 Outs Above Average in just 38 games. The indelible image of his rookie season is a ball bouncing off his glove and over the right field wall in Texas. But he\u2019s slowly morphed into a good defensive player \u2014 becoming a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, with the potential for more in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefense was something that I struggled with,\u201d Adell said. \u201cJust finding ways to improve and get better and find a way to learn. At the end of the day, defense is one of those things where it\u2019s just about trying to get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n The Angels\u2019 Jo Adell shows the ball after robbing Seattle\u2019s J.P. Crawford of a home run in the ninth inning on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

As the final home run robbery was being reviewed in the ninth inning, Adell said he was going back through the rule book in his head. He wasn\u2019t sure if the umpires would penalize him for leaving the playing field. But he knew he\u2019d caught the ball, secured it, and kept it in the leather the entire time.<\/p>\n

Watching from the dugout was Torii Hunter, a truly legendary center fielder and special assistant with the Angels. He won nine Gold Gloves over his 19 big-league seasons and is considered one of the best to ever play his position.<\/p>\n

The 50-year-old, who\u2019s worked with Adell on his defense in spring training and been a sounding board for him throughout his big league career, said he blacked out after Adell fell into the stands. He was more nervous than Adell himself, awaiting the final call on the review, wanting so badly for his proteg\u00e9 to have the moment he deserved.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing, man,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cThat\u2019s probably the greatest defensive game I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n