Toronto Blue Jays centre fielder Kevin Pillar might need his own human highlight reel segment on SportsCentre very soon.
Nicknamed 'Superman' for catches that have become a normality for Jays fans, Pillar once again impersonated Clark Kent on Thursday night, this time slamming full-speed into the wall in right-centre after tracking down a liner off the bat of Rueben Tejada.
As noted above, crash test-dummy might be the next best description we’ve seen of Pillar other than Superman. He continues to sacrifice his body, and doesn’t really give a damn if there’s a wall in his way.
This wasn’t the first time Pillar put his body on the line to make a play. Earlier this season, Pillar leapt into the centre-field wall at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and robbed Orioles slugger Manny Machado of what was destined to be at least an extra base hit. The only difference was that Pillar collided with a padded wall and had a little more time to react to the collision. Nonetheless, it was still a terrific display of athleticism.
Unfortunately, the Jays fell 2-0 to the O’s in the rubber match of their series. But on the bright side, fans of the blue birds got another piece of evidence that will only continue to mount in Pillar’s quest for his first gold glove.
With Kevin Kiermaier currently on the 60-day DL, could this finally be the year Pillar he’s recipient of the award? He’s lost in two straight years, but if the Jays centre fielder keeps making catches like this, it’ll be hard for him for coaches and managers not to pick him.
