James Wood made a spectacular home run robbery off Juan Soto at Citi Field, followed by a diving catch that helped the Washington Nationals secure a 5-4 victory over the New York Mets. The 23-year-old right fielder's plays drew praise from both managers. Wood's defensive highlights came early Thursday afternoon.
In the first inning, Wood tracked a 108.1 mph fly ball from Soto at the 370-foot mark in right field. He leaped at the last moment, extending his glove over the wall to snag what would have been a homer. Data from Weather Applied Metrics showed wind blew the ball in three feet, preventing it from clearing the fence by about four feet in calm conditions. Soto, seeking a homer in his third straight game, shook his head returning to the dugout. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called it an unbelievable play with perfect timing, noting it contributed to the Nationals' win. Nationals starter Miles Mikolas praised Wood, saying he has a shot at a Gold Glove for robbing homers and making nice plays. Four innings later, Wood laid out for a lineout off Bo Bichette against Mitchell Parker, marking his second five-star catch of the past 10 days with just a 10% catch probability. He said the diving play required a good jump and gauge, tougher than the timing on Soto's ball. Nationals manager Blake Butera lauded Wood's work ethic and improvement, crediting offseason training. Wood, who has started 24 of 29 outfield games in right field this season, has boosted his success rate on tough plays to 41.2% from 26% in prior seasons. CJ Abrams, who hit the go-ahead homer, described Wood's defense as quick and smooth.
