See A’s Colby Thomas make Electric Play of the Week with home run robbery

With Athletics defensive standout Denzel Clarke, known for high highlight-reel outfield play, still on the injured list and not expected to be reevaluated until after the All-Star break, A’s manager Mark Kotsay said the team knew it needed to improve its outfield defense.

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Somebody needed to step up to at least fill some of the shoes left by Clarke, the only player to ever win three consecutive Electric Play of the Week awards.

Colby Thomas took that literally.

With two outs in the first inning, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell hit an estimated 96.5-mph, 355-foot fly ball to deep right field.

Adell’s swing would’ve been a home run at 14 of 30 MLB ballparks, according to Statcast. Most of the time, it would’ve been at Sutter Health Park, too.

But Thomas had a different idea.

Thomas got a good jump and ran toward the wall in right field, timing his jump perfectly before catching the ball and landing his back flat on the top of the wall. His hat fell over the fence as his body slumped back onto the field before he got up in triumphant fashion after what would on Monday be named the Electric Play of the Week.

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“To be honest, I didn’t know about the wall being right there,” Thomas said postgame, according to MLB.com. “I knew I was on the track, but I didn’t think I was going to hit the wall. We’ve made some questionable plays in the outfield lately, especially myself. … It was really awesome to get one back and make a good play.”

After the catch, A’s starter Jack Perkins fist pumped in the air as the crowd cheered for Thomas. The catch helped Perkins limit the damage in his no decision that saw him surrender four runs across five innings, before the bullpen blew up and allowed the Angels to win 9-7.

“I was like, ‘Oh, wow.’ That was absolutely insane,” Perkins said postgame, according to MLB.com. “Amazing play to keep high momentum on our side.”

Thomas, 25, has seen limited playing time this season due to some offensive struggles. In 65 at-bats across 34 games, he is slashing .215/.261/.338 with four extra-base hits. Last season, Thomas was slightly more efficient with a .684 OPS in 49 games.

While Thomas has had offensive struggles, his defense has never been a question. Thomas’ career began with a highlight-reel outfield assist in his MLB debut last June.

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