SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 25: Hunter Pence #8 of the San Francisco Giants hits a sacrifice fly scoring Joe Panik #12 against the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the fifth inning at AT&T Park on April 25, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence has always had great moments, but on Monday, he had what was perhaps one of his best.
In the fourth inning of the Giants’ 8-5 home loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pence tracked a foul ball from Josh Harrison and ended up stumbling and falling flat on his back while avoiding the bullpen mound. However, he never seemed to lose sight of the ball, since he managed to catch it in a spectacular fashion.
Pence made a run at the ball from his position in right field, beating first baseman Brandon Belt to the punch. But as he crossed the line marking fair and foul territory, Pence’s legs buckled under him and he fell to his knees, and then onto his back.
“I’ve seen him make some acrobatic catches out there; I’m not surprised,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “That’s who he is.”
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Pence, 33, also threw out Jordy Mercer at third on an Andrew McCutchen single later in the game.
Of course, like many other outfielders, Pence also sometimes gets caught in a difficult situation. He got caught in a rundown after rounding third too hard in the third inning.
The Giants (66-52, 1st in NL West) will next play the Pirates (60-56, 3rd in NL Central) again on Tuesday night in the second game of their three-game home series. After that, they will begin a three-game home series against the Mets on Thursday.
Watch Pence’s amazing catch below:
Pence is now hoping his production at the plate can begin to match his defensive exploits. He is batting .200 (12-for-60) since returning from the disabled list July 30, with three RBIs. Pence went 1-for-4 with one RBI on Monday.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 25: Hunter Pence #8 of the San Francisco Giants hits a sacrifice fly scoring Joe Panik #12 against the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the fifth inning at AT&T Park on April 25, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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