This wasn’t quite in the Bob Boone/Pete Rose echelon of deflected pop-up catches, but Angels reliever Mike Morin made a good one nonetheless on Sunday afternoon against the Astros. With a runner on first base and two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Jonathan Singleton popped up a 3-1 fastball.
Catcher Hank Conger and first baseman C.J. Cron both came in to attempt to catch the ball a few feet in front of the pitchers mound, but they bumped into each other. The ball deflected off of Hank Conger’s mitt and a crouching Morin sprang to his side to make the catch before the ball hit the ground.
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The Angels went on to win 6-1, polishing off a four-game series sweep of the Astros. At 51-36, the Angels have the second-best record in the American League. The best team happens to play in the AL West as well, however, as the Athletics lead by 3.5 games with a 55-33 record.