Red Sox’s Ceddanne Rafaela Makes Admission About Unreal Catch

A home run robbery always is a highlight in baseball, but the Red Sox topped it Wednesday.

Kerry Carpenter appeared to hit his 10th home run of the season, but the ball miraculously bounced off Wilyer Abreu’s glove and Ceddanne Rafaela cleaned up the play for the second out of the seventh inning. It was the first 9-8 play in MLB history since Sept. 14, 2003, and although Rafaela is no stranger to web gems, it doesn’t help to have a little luck on your side.

“I didn’t know where the ball was going to land,” Rafaela told reporters, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “I was trying to go for it, but I saw Wily, and he was under the ball already. I was just there if it hit the wall or something. And then I saw it (deflect), and I stuck my hand in there.”

Liam Hendriks joked that the ball had some “juju” after showing appreciation for Rafaela and Abreu. The once-in-a-lifetime play also wasn’t lost on his Red Sox teammate.

“Those are the plays that don’t happen every day,” Rafaela told reporters. “I think you have to be there for your teammates on every play and those kinds of things happen.”

Boston couldn’t cap off the highlight with a win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The Red Sox will look to rebound Friday when they start a weekend series against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park.