Bryce Johnson
MLBBy Arthur Weinstein on

San Francisco Giants outfielder Bryce Johnson made a catch-of-the-year contender Wednesday night. He paid dearly for it.

Johnson, who entered the game in center field in the fourth inning after an injury to right fielder Michael Conforto, tracked down a 101 mph drive off the bat of Freddie Freeman. He leaped and caught the ball just as he smashed into the outfield wall.

Although Johnson held on to the ball, he landed on his back on the warning track and stayed down. After being checked by training staff, he left the game.

Mike Yastrzemski, who started the game in center but moved to right to replace Conforto, returned to center field after Johnson left. Johnson had a very busy fourth inning before he got hurt. He made another catch on a sharp liner by Miguel Vargas, and crashed into the center field wall attempting to catch a drive by J.D. Martinez that went for a triple.

Here’s another angle of Johnson’s catch, with the loud “thump” of him hitting the wall more audible.

No team wants to lose one outfielder to injury in a game, let alone two. As one fan noted on Twitter, “Insane catch. Giants may run out of outfielders by end of the game.”

The 27-year-old Johnson, who made his MLB debut last season, is slashing .150/.150/.300 this season with one home run in 20 at-bats.

[Photo Credit: NBC Sports Bay Area]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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