Any MLB hitter would be happy with a three-homer game. Jo Adell did the defensive equivalent on Saturday.
The Los Angeles Angels outfielder pulled off a hat track of home run robberies against the Seattle Mariners,in a game the Angels won 1-0. That's what we call making a defensive impact.
The first was at the expense of star Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who remains homerless in nine games this season after hitting 60 long balls in 2025.
Facing Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz, Raleigh clubbed a ball 104.7 mph and 370 feet to right field. It was a bona fide barrel … and landed just low enough for the 6-foot-2 Adell to snag it.
Call it the Big Jumper robbing the Big Dumper.
Six innings later, Adell did it again at the expense of Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor.
And then came the wildest catch in the ninth inning. Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford hit what would have been a game-tying homer off Angels closer Jordan Romano, but Adell brought it back with a leaping grab into the right-field stands.
Because Adell fell into the crowd, the Mariners challenged to see if the play could still count as a homer, but the call was confirmed because Adell made the catch before falling out of play.
Oh, and he went 1-for-3 at the plate.
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"Sometimes you've got to help on the other side of the ball. I'm glad I did my job tonight," Adell said on the Angels broadcast before receiving his traditional Gatorade bath.
The feat is unprecedented, at least far as this stuff has been recorded. Sports Info Solutions started tracking home run robberies in 2004 andthis is the first time they've ever seen three from a single player in a single game. Only two players — Nook Logan in 2005 and Jesús Sánchez in 2025 — had even record two.
In attendance was former Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, who had his own track record of home run robberies during his playing days. The nine-time Gold Glover was impressed.
"[Hunter] stopped by my locker before the game. Maybe a little bit rubbed off," Adell said earlier with a laugh.
Adell is a former top 100 prospect who has been an up-and-down presence for the Angels in his seven-year career. Last season was his best as a hitter, hitting a career-high 37 homers as their starting center fielder. He's off to a slow start this season on offense, but clearly has some reason for confidence in his abilities going forward.
When will Cal Raleigh get his first HR?
It's also been a slow start to the season for Raleigh, who is slashing .121/.216/.152 after Saturday. He has so far registered only four hits while striking out 17 times in 37 plate appearances, tied for the most punchouts in MLB.
And that's after going 0-for-14 at the plate for Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic in March.
At least on Saturday he had the excuse of Adell, and praised the outfielder accordingly withMLB.com's Daniel Kramer:
"You just tip the cap. I don't think I've ever seen a guy rob two homers in a game, much less three. So it's just one of those things where baseball can amaze you night in and night and night out. You can see something you've never seen before."
Is that cause for panic? Well, food for thought, this time last year Raleigh was hitting 125/.250/.250 in seven games. He did have a homer by then, but the point is that disappointing numbers in early April are very easy to erase. Raleigh went on to finish second in AL MVP voting and become only the seventh player (or fourth, if you remove players with steroid allegations) in MLB history to reach 60 homers.