Cowser's game-ending homer robbery named Premier Play of Year
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LAS VEGAS -- When Colton Cowser stunned Jake McCarthy by robbing him of a would-be walk-off home run on Aug. 31, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz called it the best catch he had ever seen.
That topic would certainly invite an entertaining debate, but as far as plays we saw in 2026, Cowser’s web gem was officially tabbed as the cream of the crop, earning the Capital One Premier Play of the Year.
Mets seven-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glover David Wright presented the award to Cowser Wednesday night at the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards.
“Looking around this room, there are some incredible defenders amongst us,” Wright said. “Some double-digit Gold Glove winners, and we even have a couple Platinum Glove guys in the house. But now, the ultimate defensive bragging rights go to the winner of the Capital One Premier Play of the Year. And a lot of the old guys in this room swear they made a play that would’ve taken this award home back in the day.”
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Cowser’s play was one for the ages. With Baltimore clinging to a 2-1 lead over Colorado in the ninth inning, Troy Johnston hit a one-out double, putting the tying run at second base. Andrew Kittredge struck out Zac Veen to bring the Orioles within an out of securing the victory, but McCarthy drilled Kittredge’s 1-0 pitch to deep center field, bringing the Colorado crowd to its feet with the anticipation of a walk-off home run.
According to Statcast, Cowser had a starting depth of 329 feet from home plate. Although his average for the season was 324, he said that night he should have been even deeper in this particular situation due to the spacious outfield dimensions at Coors Field. (The average starting distance for center fielders at Coors this season had been an MLB-high 338 feet.)
“It was one of those plays where if it goes over the fence, it’s a walk-off home run,” Cowser said in an interview with Greg Amsinger, while accepting the award. “It stays in the ballpark, it’s game over and we win. It was kind of all or nothing. I kept my head down, kept running and realized I had a chance. Closed my eyes and caught it.”
Amsinger asked Cowser how he’d describe the play to his grandkids, should they someday inquire about it.
“Well, I’m assuming that if it’s when I’m a grandpa, it’s probably going to be – [I’ll] tell them it’s a lot of skill, it was one of the best plays ever made,” Cowser said with a grin.
Teammates used words like “gutsy” and “incredible” to describe Cowser’s play, which helped pull the Orioles back to .500 as they tried to chase down a postseason berth during the season’s final month.
“I guess this one was a walk-off for them, or it was a walk-off for us,” Cowser said at the time. “So yeah, I guess you can say that – a walk-off on the road.”
Wednesday, he walked off with a trophy, preserving that moment for him for the rest of time.