BALTIMORE — “That's a tough answer,” Cedric Mullins said, and the 29-year-old center fielder mused after being asked the difficult question.
Was Mullins' catch in the first inning of the Orioles' 7-4 win over the Twins at Camden Yards on Monday night the best of his career? His seven years in the MLB Highlight tapes from his time there include sensational grabs at ballparks across the United States.
After thinking about it for a moment, Mullins ranked him the same as his O's teammates.
“I would give it one point,” Mullins said. “The guys gave me a 1, and I’m going to go there with them.”
It's time to break out Mullins' newest defensive gem.
The Twins had a runner on third base in the opening frame, but Kyle Farmer connected with a 2-2 sinker from Baltimore left-hander Cole Irvin and missed the top of the plate for a surefire two-out RBI extra-base knock. thought. . The ball appeared to fly off Farmer's bat at a speed of 161.6 mph and toward the left-center gap, according to Statcast.
Mullins was in the shade near right-center, but he made a great jump, running an average sprint speed of 28.3 feet per second and covering 70 feet. He then completed the catch with an incredibly timed leap and the ball landed in his glove mid-air.
“It was a tough catch. It's kind of new, coming off the field and diving,” Mullins said. “Instinct rules there. The reads you get during BP lead to that, and you really think about it and make sure you're able to jump to the ball well during BP. It's the little things that count.”
Irvin was very grateful for Mullins' help. The Orioles starter raised his arms straight up, kept his arms in place as he began to retreat from the field, and smiled broadly as he tipped his hat to his teammates. On the O's broadcast, MASN's Kevin Brown praised Mullins for making an “impossible catch.”
This was not the first time (or even the second time) that Irvin benefited from Mullins' great play. Last year, Mullins made a diving catch on July 2nd and stole a home run on July 7th. Irvin started both games, and it was Minnesota's Byron Buxton who stole bases in both games.
“Every time we play against the Twins and I'm on the mound, he seems to do something really cool,” Irvin said, adding that he plans to give Mullins a bottle of whiskey as a gift. “Overall, that might have been one of the best plays I've ever made. That was one of the coolest plays. You see plays like that while shooting, and also pitching. I don't know if I can do that.
“From the angle I had it, it was really cool. I thought there was no chance of him catching it, and then all of a sudden there was a glove and it was in it. Incredible. Great play.”
“I can't say I expected him to make that play,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli added.
“This play is–I think so.” [left fielder Austin] Hayes said he felt like he was floating on the ground for a moment and then he caught the ball behind him,” Hyde said. “Ced is a Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder and has been playing great defense so far this year.”
He's also raking. Mullins hit one of the O's three home runs on Monday, extending his hitting streak to seven games. During this span, he had 9 hits in 21 at bats (.429) and tied for the team lead with four home runs.
Mullins has already won MLB's Electric Play of the Week once this season and could win it again soon. He earned this honor for his catch in Pittsburgh on April 6, extending the game with a run-saving grab from the Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes in the 11th inning.
Mullins' latest sensational catch, which may end up being one of the best defensive plays of the 2024 season, came while wearing No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day. He had a chance time of 4.2 seconds on the glove on Monday, according to Statcast.
Mullins said of Robinson's legacy: “It's all about the opportunity. I think at the end of the day, that's what's important.” “At the end of the day, that's what he fought for, so that players and players like me could have the opportunity to play this game at the highest level. So, that's not something I take for granted. .”