It wasn’t Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone or Willie Mays at the Polo Grounds in 1954, but Mark Canha might have made the catch of the decade for the Oakland A’s on Wednesday.
Riding a 4-0 lead in the top of the third of Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, A’s starter Chris Bassitt allowed the first two Chicago White Sox runners to get on base. Yoan Moncada roped a ball to deep left that looked like trouble, but Canha didn’t give up on it.
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“I felt like I had a bead on it and I was kinda measuring it up as I was running to it and about three quarters of the way there, I decided to go for it, I decided I had a chance,” Canha said after the A's 5-3 win.
The catch immediately drew comparisons to Joe Rudi’s incredible snare in the 1972 World Series off the bat of the Reds’ Denis Menke.
“That’s pretty cool to be compared to that,” Canha told reporters after the game. “Let’s hope we can get to the World Series and I can make another one in the World Series.”
The A’s have a long way to go before they get to the World Series, but in a win-or-go-home scenario, Canha came up clutch with the glove.
Oakland Athletics
The 6-foot-2 Canha needed every bit of his size as he extended up and stole a sure-fire double away from Moncada. He quickly gathered himself and threw quickly back to the infield where the White Sox baserunners were scrambling back to first and second base.
“It was a tough play, but thank God I got it done,” Canha said.
Off the bat, even Canha’s teammates thought the ball was trouble.
“That ball was hit well, sometimes in day games in Oakland, those left handers can hit balls to the track that carry,” shortstop Marcus Semien said. “Initially, I thought it was going to hit the wall. I think the baserunners did as well.”
Nick Madrigal had already rounder third and was heading home. Right behind him was leadoff man Tim Anderson, who was prepared to score from first on the hit. Both scrambled back with Anderson barely making it back to first before the relay throw made it in.
“He came up with a kind of a ridiculous friggin' catch, and I mean, truly saved my outing,” Bassitt said.
Instead of Chicago making it a 4-2 game with a man on second, no outs and the heart of the order coming up to the plate, Bassitt seemed to feed off his left fielder’s catch. He got Yasmani Grandal to pop out to short and AL MVP candidate Jose Abreu to fly out to center to end the threat.
“Game changer, game saver, that’s an automatic two runs is you don’t catch it,” Bassitt said.
Canha has been a jack-of-all-trades player for the A’s this season. In the last three games he’s played all three outfield positions. Making a play like is difficult enough, but adjusting to angles and the flight of the ball is different from each position.
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According to Canha, the fact that he was so familiar with home outfield helped with the process.
“For the most part, I just trust my athleticism and I consider myself a good athlete out there, I’m confident,” Canha said. “It’s challenging at times, but not too bad.”
The play kept the momentum on the A’s side and Khris Davis home run in the fifth game Oakland the insurance run they would need. The White Sox made a late run to make it 5-3, but A’s came away with a huge win with solid pitching, timely hitting and a huge catch from Canha.