When spring is in the air, so is baseball. Birds chirping, sun shining, and the sound of a baseball meeting with a baseball bat. The season is only beginning where players and teams are beginning to get us fans on the edge of our seats to prepare us for the climatic season that is before us. Only double plays, diving catches, pitching techniques, and getting on base fuels our devotion for our favorite athletes and teams. Winning games is just the icing on the cake.
Extraordinary athletes are all around us, even with their highest moments recorded for us to witness again, maybe even for the first time. Some of these unbelievable instances need to be replayed not only to cure our disbelief, but to intensify our hopes and dreams that astounding moments due in fact come true. This week’s play of the week is the epitome of that. In fact, I myself, have replayed this clip to not only verify that it happened, but to relive the occasion of disbelief to further capture my involvement with this play. Perhaps, an opportunity to place myself there and be able to witness it for the first time. Needless to say, if you blink, you might have missed what just happened.
This play defines the speed truly needed of making such a successful diving catch. This athlete saw an opportunity and literally ran with it. For if it was not for his speed, the catch would have been quite unsuccessful. Chase Pinder, a sophomore at Clemson ran exactly 101.42 feet in 4:15 seconds to secure an out in the match-up against the Florida State Seminoles. Yes, you read that correctly. 101.42 ft in 4:15 seconds. Phenomenal is an understatement of this play.
If you happened to miss, the speed of this diving catch, you can witness it here: