Braves right fielder Travis Demeritte was a late scratch on Wednesday afternoon due to fatigue from playing 18 innings the previous day against the Mets. So, in a last-minute decision, Guillermo Heredia was inserted into the lineup.
Yeah, that move paid off.
Heredia made an early entry to the Catch of the Year race with a remarkable, wall-scaling grab that robbed the Mets’ Jeff McNeil of extra bases in the second inning. So much had to go right for Heredia there after he mistimed his jump a bit to recover and make the grab. He did so while seemingly reaching back for the ball.
Jeff McNeil is probably not going to be happy about this wall-scaling catch by his former teammate, Guillermo Heredia. (But what a catch.) pic.twitter.com/jVsvh28NXC
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 4, 2022
And another look:
Guillermo Heredia robs Jeff McNeil with cliffhanger catch. pic.twitter.com/WxPd8jSlSu
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) May 4, 2022
But as good as the catch was, the reaction from McNeil might have been even better. He was genuinely confused how Heredia — his former teammate — came up with the ball.
Jeff McNeil confusion. pic.twitter.com/u13g8mxnf3
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) May 4, 2022
He appeared to shout, “WHAT?!”
Baseball fans also appreciated that reaction.