Catch of the year? Blue Jays' Schneider makes unbelievable grab

When Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski hit a sharp line drive during a spring training game on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays, he probably had a pretty good feeling that he’d be getting on base.

Unfortunately for Suwinski, Blue Jays outfielder Davis Schneider had other plans, even if he took a less-than-conventional route to get there.

In the bottom of the fourth inning with a runner (Ke’Bryan Hayes) on first during Thursday’s game, Suwinski laced a ball into left field that looked like it’d be dropping near the warning track for a hit.

Schneider didn’t appear to get the best break on the ball, but at the last second, made an outstretched lunge, and, well, ended up on the highlight reels in the process.

"That's gotta be illegal" 🤣

Schneider is STUNNING on defence! pic.twitter.com/dCzbm4ChhA

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 21, 2024

Outside of being a remarkable play, the catch seemed to kill any momentum of a possible fourth-inning Pirates rally after Bryan Reynolds opened the inning with a home run. After Schneider’s play, Andrew McCutchen flew out to centre field, before former Blue Jay Rowdy Tellez struck out to end the inning, stranding Hayes at first.

Coming onto the scene as a rookie last season, Schneider is now set for his second season in the major leagues. In an impressive rookie campaign, he hit .276 with 32 hits, eight home runs, 20 RBIs and 23 runs scored in 35 games in 2023 for the Blue Jays.

And though it’s just spring training, the play ultimately made quite the difference, with Toronto holding on for a 3-2 victory over the Pirates. The Jays have just five spring training games left, with their exhibition schedule closing out on Monday, March 25 against these very same Pirates.

We’re now less than a week out from Opening Day of the 2024 regular season for Toronto, when the Jays travel to Tampa Bay on March 28 to take on the Rays. Meanwhile, the Jays make their return to the Rogers Centre on April 8, when they host the Seattle Mariners.

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