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By Megan Armstrong
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There was a literal Angel in the outfield at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday.
Sorry.
It had to be said.
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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell robbed the visiting Seattle Mariners of three home runs in the Angels' 1-0 victory.
Adell, 26, quite literally robbed Seattle of its fifth win of the young 2026 MLB season. Both teams are 4-5 after Saturday night.
"I've never seen three home run robberies in one game, and I've never seen a guy on the third one fall into the stands, catch the ball and keep his feet in like he's a wide receiver," said Torii Hunter, who now serves as an Angels special assistant to the general manager, per the Associated Press. "I was jumping up and down. I almost passed out."
Per The Athletic's Sam Blum, Hunter called Adell's performance "probably the greatest defensive game I've ever seen."
Hunter was a five-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner during his 19-year MLB career. He spent five seasons with the Angels from 2008 to 2012.
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Adell was a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, and at this pace, he'll have won nine Gold Gloves by the end of this season alone.
Adell started early. His first home run robbery came at the expense of Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh in the top of the first inning. Adell backpedaled and jumped well above the fence in right field.
In the top of the eighth inning, Seattle first baseman Josh Naylor stared at a ball he'd just crushed to right field. Yet again, Adell perfectly timed his leap and snatched another would-be home run.
Adell saved the best for last. In the top of the ninth with nobody out, Seattle shortstop J.P. Crawford sailed one just behind the foul pole in the right corner. Adell tracked the ball and jumped headfirst into the stands to save his third home run of the night. Adell stood up and held his glove up, and Angels fans erupted.
Crawford stood still in disbelief. Angels three-time MVP centerfielder Mike Trout also couldn't believe what he was witnessing.
"It was like from a movie scene,” Hunter said, per OC Register's Jeff Fletcher. “It’s as if the music was playing and then he caught the ball, and then when he went down with it, and we didn’t see him anymore, the music paused. And then everybody paused, and he came up and said, 'Yeah!'' And everybody started cheering, and I almost blacked out."
After the game, the Angels posted a video of Adell saying, "What up, Angels fans? I know y'all saw that. A little bit of a Jo Show out there in right. That's what we do, baby. 1-0. I couldn't do it without y'all."
According to Inside Edge, Adell's 10 home run robberies since 2020 are tied with Los Angeles Dodgers rightfielder Kyle Tucker for the most in MLB during that span.
Adell's three is already just one shy of the most home run robberies by any player in all of last season. Washington Nationals centerfielder Jacob Young and San Diego Padres two-time Gold Glove winner Fernando Tatis Jr. each had four.
According to the AP, Adell credited Hunter's coaching after the game.
"His impact has been huge,” Adell said. "It’s mental when you’re out there. It's a mindset of going to get the baseball, being aggressive."
Adell added, "When you err on the side of being aggressive and trying to make the plays, you’d be surprised at how many plays you make. That’s the mindset Torii had all those years, winning all those Gold Gloves."
See clips from Adell's historic night below.
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