Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Matt Kemp made a spectacular catch in the sun and then tried to walk on ball three

You have to admit, Matt Kemp's spinning catch in the second inning of Sunday's Padres-Rockies game was pretty impressive. Staring up into the sun, he lost track of Chad Bettis' popup -- making even the announcers think he was going to miss it -- and then recovered at the last second, pulling the ball in for the final out of the inning.

As good as it was, however, I'm not entirely sure it earned Kemp the three-ball walk that he tried to take in the top of the third. 

After losing track of the count (3-1) and jogging toward first base, Kemp was called back to finish his at-bat. Alas, he ended up striking out on the next two pitches and in the end, the Padres fell to the Rockies, 6-3.
If only there was a rule that stipulated truly spectacular catches could reduce the number of balls it takes to draw a walk at the plate, things might've turned out differently for Kemp on Sunday. 
There isn't -- but it was worth a try, at least. 

BarberJordan
beephero
AP_702417634020
NYC