Mike Trout’s catch saved the game, maybe the season for Angels

The Los Angeles Angels season has been an up and down roller coaster ride since the first series in Seattle.  After the Mike Trout’s leadoff homer off Felix Hernandez in game one vs. Seattle back in April the Angels bats floundered in losing that game to the Mariners.  The Los Angeles Angels bounced right back winning the next two games and taking the series in Seattle. Not much has changed since then.

On Saturday night, with Angels fighting for their playoff lives facing Hernandez again and trailing 2-1 in the fourth inning Jesus Montero lifted a drive off of Angels starter Andrew Heaney to deep center and Trout raced back to the wall scaling it and bracing himself against it while leaning over to bring the three-run homer back into play as a truly spectacular catch that definitely saved the game for the Angels and may turn to be one of those plays that saves the season.  Heaney who had been in trouble all game tipped his hat to Trout then settled down to get the next two batters and pitch a flawless 5th and 6th inning keeping the score at 2-1 allowing C.J. Cron’s solo homer off of Hernandez to tie the game in the 6th.

The Angels heroics were not done yet, after an ugly scene in the top of the 9th inning that saw closer Huston Street writhing in pain after an apparent groin injury, David Freese stepped to the plate. Freese sent the crowd into a frenzy as he tattooed Danny Farqhuar’s second pitch of the at bat over the centerfield wall for a walk-off 3-2 victory. The win kept the Angels 0.5 games back of Houston in the wild-card race and pulled them within four games of Texas in the AL West race.

David Freese prepares to touch home celebrating his walk-off home run in a 3-2 victory for the Angels Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

What will happen these last 8 games is anyone’s guess, but for now the catch by Mike Trout will go down as a monumental play in this roller coaster ride of a season.  Will it be the difference only time will tell, but at least for one night Mike Trout again proves why he is the most valuable player in baseball.