Zimmer robs Goldy with 5% catch probability

June 9th, 2021

There’s no shortage of exciting web gems on a nightly basis, but what Indians center fielder did in the first inning of Tuesday night's 10-1 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium was truly next level.

With ace Shane Bieber on the mound, Zimmer robbed slugger Paul Goldschmidt on a sharp lineout that had just a 5 percent catch probability, per Statcast.

Bieber, in a 1-2 count against Goldschmidt, delivered a 93.5 mph four-seam fastball tailing out of the zone that Goldschmidt got a lot of. Extra bases seemed likely before Zimmer made a Superman-like catch to end the inning.

In his catch, Zimmer covered an elite 29 feet per second, covering 69 total feet with an opportunity time of just 3.8 seconds, per Statcast.

“That was huge,” Bieber said. “Obviously, I was a big fan if you saw my reaction. “He’s awesome out there, as well as the rest of our guys. But to have him in center, he gets such a quick read on things and, obviously, closes the gap extremely quick. He's up there with the best of them. I love having him out there and relying on him to make those plays for me.”

Zimmer, who was recalled from Triple-A on May 27, is seeing increased playing time with outfielder Jordan Luplow on the 10-day injured list.

On Tuesday, he went 1-for-4, with a two-run single in Cleveland's four-run ninth inning. He is now slashing .231/.333/.231 with six hits and four RBIs in 26 at-bats this season.