The Catch: Chas McCormick’s Play of the Century

Unpacking World Series lore, you will find the biggest and most iconic moments are given a catch phrase.

Chas McCormick’s World Series Game 5 play, now dubbed “The Catch,” enters that illustrious company filled with the likes of Kirk Gibson’s fist pump in 1988, Carlton Fisk waving his home run fair in 1975, or the infamous Bill Buckner error between his legs in 1986.

The Catch is likely the best play of Chas McCormick’s career, and also one of the best catches I have ever seen in my many years of watching baseball.

In the bottom of the 9th inning with one out and closer Ryan Pressly on the mound, J.T. Realmuto stepped up to the plate. Realmuto blasted a pitch to right-center field. Chas McCormick ran on to the warning track and leaped at the wall. With his body planted against the fence, McCormick snagged out number two.

If Chas is unable to reel in the ball, Realmuto had an easy double, and most likely a triple, with Bryce Harper due up next. Chas landed and laid down on his back, ball firmly planted in the webbing of his glove, leaving his imprint on Philadelphia fans and the stadium itself.

An Astros fan was sitting in the bleachers right behind the right-center wall and amazingly captured Chas McCormick’s literal imprint he left on the warning track. The image just adds to the World Series lore and the amazing play to save Game 5. “The Catch” now has both the iconic video of the play itself, as well as the aftermath, with McCormick printed into the red warning track dirt at Citizen’s Bank Park.

McCormick’s game saving catch was only made possible by happenstance. Yuli Gurriel suffered an injury during a 7th inning rundown. Dusty Baker was left to find a replacement at first base, which Trey Mancini filled.

This left Baker without an option to sub in Mauricio Dubon in center and move McCormick over to left. The catch helped propel the Astros to a 3-2 victory, thus giving them the series on their way home to Houston.

Revisiting Cristian Javier’s Combined No-Hitter To Swing the World Series