From Bryan Hoch:
It was a late-summer evening in the Bronx, with the Red Sox in town and the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead over their most historic rivals. With the tying run at third base, a fly ball sailed into left field, reducing the game to a matchup: Cody Bellinger’s arm against Ceddanne Rafaela’s speed.
Bellinger settled under the ball and unleashed a one-hop strike to catcher Austin Wells, who tagged Rafaela on the back end of an inning-ending double play — a moment manager Aaron Boone described as “one of the defensive plays of the year.”
“He made a perfect throw,” Rafaela said that night, after the Yankees held on for a 1-0 victory. “I think that’s the only throw that can get me out right there.”
That was arguably Bellinger’s finest defensive play in a portfolio of defensive excellence that was recognized on Sunday as the 31-year-old brought home his second career Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
Bellinger won his first Gold Glove with the Dodgers in 2019, when he played right field. Wyatt Langford of the Rangers and Chandler Simpson of the Rays were the other American League left-field finalists this season.
Good for Belli. His defense has been outstanding.
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