Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Brett Gardner's catch gave birth to this amazing photo ... that proves that maybe it never happened

If you get excited by baseball players leaping high over the wall to steal home runs from players, then you surely loved it when Brett Gardner leapt at the wall -- briefly bringing planking back along the way -- to steal a home run from C.J. Cron in the Yankees' 5-1 victory against the Angels on Saturday night. 

It was a phenomenal play, perhaps the catch of the season. There was even a talented photog ready to snap a great pic as Gardner balanced over the wall: 

But ... wait a minute. While everyone assumed Gardner made this amazing catch, this post presupposes ... maybe he didn't. Maybe this photographer managed to capture a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top -- that's right, I'm talking to the President. This catch never happened. Rather, like the moon landing, this was all done in some sound stage.  
Need proof? We broke it down with five crystal clear explanations for why this is the baseball conspiracy of the century. 

(click to embiggen
1. Gardner is laying down on the wall. But wait, walls are thin. How could Gardner lay down on it ... unless it was all a setup and he's being suspended by a harness? 
2. Look at Gardner's tiny legs. Brett Gardner doesn't have tiny legs. He's a pro baseball player with 215 career stolen bases. Is this the work of a stunt man who looks like Brett Gardner? And has remarkably small legs? 

Those are normal-sized legs! And I don't want to hear about "perspective" -- that's another conspiracy. 
3. Gardner isn't looking at the ball. Isn't the No. 1 rule when catching baseballs that you have to keep your eye on the ball? 
Where are you looking, "Brett"? To the director, just off screen? 

  1. Who is this woman sitting down? Everyone else is standing? Clearly she's been placed there in post-production to cover up an issue with the set. 
  1. And finally, the smoking gun: That soda is sitting upright and has not spilled all over everyone. The rule of soda is that if anything exciting happens, it gets spilled all over everyone. 

So did Gardner actually rob this home run? That's for you to decide. 

BarberJordan
beephero
AP_702417634020
NYC