Tony Kemp made a terrific leaping catch and took a breather on the ground afterward
The Astros' defense was clicking on all cylinders during their 8-2 win over the Indians on Thursday. Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve teamed up to make an acrobatic play on a grounder in the first inning, and in the seventh, it was Tony Kemp's time to shine.
Jason Kipnis smacked a long drive off reliever Hector Rondon that sent Kemp sprinting toward the left-field corner. He jumped ...
... and reeled in a tremendous catch to likely rob Kipnis of an extra-base hit.
Kemp covered so much territory that once he hit the ground, he took a moment to lie there and recover:
We've all been there after a productive day at work. Time to kick back and relax.
The Astros had been holding their breath on whether Kemp would make the catch or not. "I didn't know how far it was going to go to see if it was going to get up on the wall or whether he was going to be able to get to it," said manager A.J. Hinch to MLB.com's Ben Weinrib. "It was a funky angle for me. If it lands on the grass or it lands on the track, we've got a chance to catch it.
"We have great range out there. Especially this configuration of the outfield. It's one of the things we're comfortable with. As he was tracking it, I felt like if it was going to not get off the wall, he was going to catch it."
Hinch was right. Kemp made the play and soaked in the triumph of it -- even if it stung a little bit.
— Tony Kemp (@tonykemp) May 25, 2018
