George Springer robs Rangers of walk-off grand slam with amazing catch

Nothing is going the Texas Rangers’ way these days — not even what looked like a walk-off grand slam Sunday in their game with the Houston Astros. To be fair, maybe this had less to do with the bad luck of the injury-depleted Rangers and more to do with the range and athleticism of George Springer, Houston’s second-year stud outfielder.

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Here’s the scene: The game was tied 4-4 in the tenth inning, after the Rangers scored two runs in the seventh and eighth innings to wipe away Houston’s 4-0 lead and send the game to extras. Leonys Martin stepped to the plate with the bases full. He launched one deep into right field that looked, off the bat, like it was a game-winner.

Springer zoomed toward the wall, then jumped, extended and caught the ball as it was going over the fence. He crashed into the wall and if you froze him for a moment it looked like there was glue on the back of his jersey, holding him there. The third out of the inning was his and the game was saved.

”I’ve seen it, so I know it was gone,” Springer said afterward. ”It was over my head for sure. It was a home run, but at the time I didn’t know how far over.”

Over in the Rangers’ clubhouse, Martin was still in disbelief by the time he talked to reporters:

“For me, that’s going to be the best catch that anybody makes in my life,” Martin said. “Especially a grand slam, walk-off. I can’t believe that he made that play. I can’t believe it.”

Hank Conger, Houston’s new backup catcher, made Springer’s catch even important when he hit a two-run, go-ahead homer in the 14th inning. It was Conger’s first hit with the Astros and on another night, that might have been the headline here.

But Springer’s catch was just too amazing. It got all the attention Sunday and it very well could get all the attention when “catch of the year” is awarded after the season

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz

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