Best game ever? Louisville’s Jo Adell robs 3 home runs for the Angels
Adell committed to the University of Louisville before being drafted by the Angels.
Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell, who graduated from Ballard High School in Louisville, robbed three home runs in a game over the weekend.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Some of the best outfielders in history might rob three home runs in a career, but Louisville native Jo Adell did it three times in one night.
Adell played right field for the Los Angeles Angels Saturday night and snatched not one, not two, but three balls from going over the wall. He ended up in the stands after the third time and celebrated with the fans.
His team needed all three as the Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 1-0. It was the first time a player robbed three homers in the same game since tracking of that statistic began in 2004.
“After the first one, I was pretty fired up,” Adell told reporters after the game. “When I got to the second one, which looked identical to the first, I thought, ‘Wow, my routes are on point tonight.’ The third one was just grit. Top of the ninth, you have to get it done. It was crazy.
“You just get there, then it’s decision-making. The ball was hit high enough to where I could get there. I watched it [into my glove], fell over and ended up in somebody’s lap. I don’t know who it was, but it was a softer landing than I expected. The fans were as fired up as me.”
Longtime Angel Torii Hunter, who won nine gold gloves in his 19-year career, said the performance was “probably” the greatest defensive game ever played.
Adell was born in North Carolina before moving to Louisville and graduating from Ballard High School, where he hit .449 with 11 home runs and 44 runs batted in his junior season. He committed to the University of Louisville, but elected to play professionally.
He was selected by the Angels with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft. He made his Major League debut in 2020.