Jo Adell Makes History With 3 Home Run Robberies in Angels' 1-0 Win

Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell robbed three home runs against the Seattle Mariners to preserve a 1-0 victory on Saturday night.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Right fielder Jo Adell secured a 1-0 victory for the Los Angeles Angels over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night by recording three home run robberies in a single game. This defensive performance is believed to be the first time in Major League Baseball history that a player has denied three home runs in one contest. Adell’s final catch occurred in the top of the ninth inning, where he tracked a J.P. Crawford fly ball to the right-field corner, leaped over the low wall, and landed in the first row of seats to maintain the one-run lead. The play was upheld following a replay review, confirming Adell remained in possession of the ball after falling into the lap of a spectator.

The Jo Adell home run robberies began in the first inning when the outfielder leaped above the yellow line on the straightaway right-field wall to take a solo home run away from Cal Raleigh. In the eighth inning, Adell executed a nearly identical maneuver to deny Josh Naylor a home run in the same area of the park. These three plays brought Adell’s career total to 10 home run robberies since 2020, moving him into a tie with Kyle Tucker of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most in the major leagues during that span. For context, the 2025 season leaders in this category were Jacob Young and Fernando Tatis Jr., who each recorded four.

Defensive Transformation Under Torii Hunter

Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner and current special assistant to the general manager, witnessed the performance from the Angels' bench. Hunter described the outing as the greatest defensive game he had ever seen, noting that Adell’s third catch mirrored the footwork of a wide receiver staying in bounds. Hunter has worked extensively with Adell over the past few years to refine his defensive approach, focusing on a mindset of aggressive pursuit. Adell, who was named a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, credited this mentorship for his transition from a struggling defender to a high-impact outfielder.

Adell noted that while his routes were precise on the first two catches in straightaway right field, the ninth-inning grab against Crawford required pure grit. The outfielder explained that the height of the ball allowed him enough time to reach the wall and make a decision on the leap. Despite flipping over the barrier into the right-field foul pole area, Adell described the landing in the stands as softer than expected. The catch effectively silenced the Mariners' final scoring threat and ended the game.

Historical Context and Statcast Impact

Inside Edge data confirms that Adell’s 10 robberies since 2020 represent the elite tier of outfield defense in the current era. The frequency of these plays on Saturday night surpassed the season-long pace of the league's top defenders. While Jacob Young of the Washington Nationals and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres led the 2025 season with four robberies each, Adell nearly matched that total in a nine-inning span. The performance highlighted a shift in Adell's playstyle, moving away from being "caught in between" on fly balls to a more decisive, attacking strategy at the wall.

Hunter’s reaction to the final out reflected the tension of the 1-0 shutout, as he admitted to nearly passing out while jumping in celebration. He likened the sequence to a movie scene where the player disappears from view after the catch before emerging from the stands to signal the out. This victory relied entirely on the Angels' ability to prevent runs through Adell’s glove, as the offense provided only a single run of support throughout the evening in Anaheim.