CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Indians outfielder Austin Jackson won the Best Defensive Play of the Year Award at the Esurance MLB Awards, which were announced on MLB Network and MLB.com Friday night.
Jackson won the award for his robbing of Hanley Ramirez of a home run at Fenway Park in the bottom of the fifth inning of a 12-10 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
AUSTIN. JACKSON. pic.twitter.com/2NRGHbQ5Qn
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 2, 2017
With the Indians clinging to a 7-5 lead at the time, Ramirez smashed a fly ball off of Cleveland reliever Dan Otero to the wall in right-center field. On a dead run, Jackson got to the track, timed his leap perfectly and made the catch.
Upon making the catch, Jackson flipped over the wall and into the Boston bullpen, but came up holding the ball in his glove for the out.
While fellow outfielder Brandon Guyer celebrated with him along the track, Otero threw his right arm in the air in appreciation of Jackson’s catch.
Already into his home run trot around the bases, Ramirez looked on in stunned silence before mouthing the word, “Whoa,” and flashing a wry smile on his way back to the dugout.
