With two outs in the bottom of the third inning in the San Diego Padres‘ game Monday against the Phillies, Philadelphia was poised to take a four-run lead. Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill had other plans.
Phillies outfielder Max Kepler connected with the first pitch he saw from San Diego starter Matt Waldron, lifting a towering fly ball to deep center. Merrill tracked the ball’s arc until he reached the warning track, eventually running out of real estate with the wall approaching.
So Merrill went another direction: up.
The center fielder leaped into the air and reached his left arm toward the sky to make a remarkable catch, coming to the ground with the would-be home run ball nestled in his glove.
JACKSON MERRILL ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9zycPrPLvE
— MLB (@MLB) June 30, 2025
The game was Merrill’s eighth since returning from a concussion sustained in mid-June. Heading into Monday, the 22-year-old outfielder was hitting .294 on the season — his second in the majors — with five home runs and 26 RBIs.
