Watch: Christian Walker makes tremendous one-handed snag at first

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Watch: Christian Walker showcases his reflexes to make tremendous one-handed snag at first

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 10/28/23

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker doesn't show a lot of emotion on the field, so it should come as no surprise that he was left unfazed by a funky play at first during Game 2 of the World Series.

In the bottom of the fifth, Walker seamlessly assisted on the first out after leaping to make a one-handed snag of a hard ground ball. Though not before the baseball deflected away from him off the first-base bag.

Christian Walker has it all the way. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/M570m0fJSj
— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2023

You wouldn't know it by Walker's expression, but his defensive robbery of catcher Johan Heim was significant for the Diamondbacks. The previous batter, designated hitter Mitch Garver, put the Rangers on the board with a solo home run, cutting a 2-0 Arizona lead in half. If Heim had reached, the inning could've quickly gotten out of hand.

There's no way of knowing if Walker's play prevented a big inning by the Rangers, but starter Merrill Kelly ultimately navigated through the rest of the fifth unscathed. First, Kelly forced first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to fly out on one pitch, then got center fielder Leody Taveras to ground out after working around an infield single by third baseman Josh Jung.

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