NEW YORK – James Wood made a home run robbery off one of the league’s top sluggers look casual at the Citi Field right-field wall early on Thursday afternoon. Then, he followed it up with a remarkable five-star catch in the Nationals’ 5-4 win.
“Unbelievable two plays there,” said manager Blake Butera. “And he just seems to get better and better.”
Wood needed all 6-foot-6 of his lanky frame -- and then some -- to take away a home run from Juan Soto who was making a bid for a homer in his third straight game.
The Nats' 23-year-old right fielder casually tracked the 108.1 mph fly ball all the way back to the wall right at the 370-feet marking. He initially thought he was going to catch it at the warning track, but the ball kept sailing. At the very last moment he took a leap, extending his glove over the wall and bringing the home run bid back with it.
“It was in the air for a while, and I had a lot of time to get to the wall,” said Wood. “So it was just a matter of timing it right. I was able to do that, and it didn’t go quite too far, so I was able to have a chance on it.”
Washington starter Miles Mikolas raised his arms in praise of Wood, and the young outfielder smiled nonchalantly back at him.
“I wasn’t sure if he got it at first, but I was super pumped,” Mikolas said. “I told him today, I think he’s got a shot at that Gold Glove. He can rob some homers, throw some people out, he’s been making some nice plays lately. It’s fun to see him out there go to work.”
Soto -- who has been a bright spot in a Mets lineup that has struggled to score runs early this season -- could only shake his head as he jogged back to the dugout. According to data provided by Weather Applied Metrics, Soto’s fly ball was blown in three feet by the wind and would have cleared the fence about four feet higher in the air in calm conditions. In that case, the ball would not have been robbable.
“He had an unbelievable game defensively,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. ”That first inning, that ball from Soto, when you watch the replay, man [Wood] got up there. The timing was perfect. But, overall, all the plays that he made, it is one of the reasons they ended up winning the game.”
Four innings later, Wood laid out in right field to grab a Bo Bichette lineout off Mitchell Parker, which had a .777 expected batting average. Not only did Wood end the inning, he recorded his second five-star catch (10% catch probability) of his career – both happening in the past 10 days.
“I think it's just a testament to James, a testament to our coaches [of] the work that they've put in together starting this offseason, continuing to do that every day,” Butera said. “... He cares about his defense. He wants to be a good defender at the age that he is.”
Of the two plays, Wood said the lineout was more difficult.
“I feel like the home run is more timing than anything,” Wood said. “But I feel like that one, you’ve got to get a good jump and you’ve got to gauge whether it’s the right play to dive for it or not. If you have a good chance on it, then you’ve got to come down with it at the end of the day.”
This wasn’t the first time this season Wood has snagged a home run. On April 6, he hustled to the right-field corner at Nationals Park and made an outstretched leaping catch at the bullpen wall to rob the Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman of a homer off Zack Littell. Wood covered 102 feet to get to the ball, then crashed onto the warning track with the out secured as the Nats' relievers rose to their feet in a standing ovation.
“I think from a foundation standpoint, his first step has been really good,” said Butera. “He's been really working on that. … I think when you start making some plays, you gain some confidence out there. And he looks as confident as I've ever seen him. He's just going after balls and making huge plays.”
Wood has made 24 of his 29 outfield starts in right field this season. He has gotten into a consistent routine after making all of his defensive starts in left field the previous two seasons (79 in 2024, 123 in ‘25).
Just last week, Wood made two of the toughest catches in terms of catch probability in his Major League career.
He achieved his first five-star catch on April 21 against the Braves. Wood dashed with a sprint speed of 27 feet/second to make a diving catch and nab a lineout by Eli White off Foster Griffin.
The next day, Wood pulled off a 30% catch probability play on Michael Harris II’s sharp lineout off Parker.
Wood has improved his success rate on plays rated two stars or higher (a 90% catch probability or lower). He entered Thursday with a 41.2% success rate on plays that are two stars or higher. In his first two seasons, he recorded a 26% success rate.
“It’s quick and smooth,” said CJ Abrams, who hit the decisive go-ahead homer in the win. “It’s fun to watch.”