ST. LOUIS --- There's a reason Alex Gordon has five Gold Gloves.
And Gordon showed off his defensive skills again on Wednesday afternoon in the seventh inning of the Royals' 5-2 win in 10 innings against the Cardinals. With one out, Francisco Pena, who already had doubled into the left-field corner to plate a run in the second, smashed a Kevin McCarthy sinker toward the same corner.
But Gordon raced to his right and with a full-length dive made a stunning catch of a drive that, according to Statcast™, had a 108 mph exit velocity and a 74 percent hit probability. Statcast™ also determined it was a three-star catch with a 60 percent catch probability.
If Gordon had missed the catch, Pena might have had a triple as center fielder Jonathan Jay was shaded slightly toward right-center and wouldn't have been able to back up Gordon very quickly. It was a key play in the win.
"He was a pull guy, so I was positioned over there a little bit anyway," Gordon said. "Plus, I was trying to avoid the sun, so I was creeping that way. It was one of those balls when you see it, you think in your mind, 'I'm going to catch this.' It's do or die.
"On the road, late in the game, you have to make plays like that. If you don't, Pena's not the fastest guy, but you have a guy on second with [one] out."