OAKLAND -- In a season filled with improbable highlights for the red hot Oakland Athletics, rookie Ramón Laureano made the throw of the year. The 321-foot strike from deep center field to first base, might be the throw of the decade.
The running grab was highlight reel material by itself, but the double-play strike to first on the fly broke the internet Saturday evening. In a refreshing change, Laureano admitting to missing a lot of the excitement over the play.
"I haven't seen it on social media, because I don't have it," Laureano told NBC Sports California. "So, I'm pretty chill about it."
The play has been a topic of discussion all weekend and Monday evening at the Coliseum, it came up again, both in the locker room and in the dugout.
"When the ball was hit, I didn't think he was going to catch it, and I certainly didn't think overthrowing like, seven cut-off men, all the way to first, he was going to get an out with it," manager Bob Melvin said during pregame as the A's prepared to take on the Seattle Mariners in the first game of a three-game set.
Initially Melvin thought the throw was a big mistake. It was a bold move for a player that made his major league debut less than two weeks ago.
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"When it took off from his hand, I was like, ‘no' and the next thing you know, you're pretty excited about it," Melvin said.
Multiple angles of the throw showed up on the internet over the weekend, flooding social media channels. The play has likely been viewed millions of times.
Although the 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic missed the buzz regarding the play, the end result of the game was more than enough to put a smile on his face.
"It feels good," Laureano said. "It feels good, we even got the win that day, so it feels way way better."
The catch and toss will likely earn a long look as one of major league baseball's best defensive plays of the season. It's also a play that might keep the versatile outfielder up with the A's as they continue to battle for a postseason berth down the stretch.
