He’s the catching coach for a reason.
Orioles field coordinator and catching coach Joe Singley put his job title on display on Tuesday in the second game of Baltimore’s doubleheader with the Astros.
Batting in the bottom of the fifth inning, Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson swung through a 1-2 cutter from Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr. In the process, Henderson lost his bat, which went flying toward the Orioles dugout on the first-base side.
Without hesitating, Singley reached high up with his left arm and snagged the bat as it torpedoed through the air. He earned a rousing applause from the enthused crowd on hand at Camden Yards.
This certainly isn’t a common play, but we have seen something similar before -- with equally impressive nonchalance, too. In a Spring Training game in 2017, the Mets’ Luis Guillorme -- known for his sure-handed defense -- snagged a flying bat along the railing of the third-base dugout while his teammates ducked for cover.
What’s more common is someone catching a flying bat after it’s ricocheted off the protective netting behind the dugout. David Freese did this for the Dodgers in 2018, while Cubs first-base coach Craig Driver and Nationals shortstop Alcides Escobar each accomplished the feat in 2021.
But Singley, truly a catching coach, one-upped them all.