That astonishing, acrobatic catch Mike “Moose” Moustakas made during the sixth inning during the Kansas City-Baltimore game Tuesday night left him cleats-up in the third base dugout.
But taking such a tumble is nothing new for Moustakas, who was a two-sport athlete at Chatsworth High School in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, said Eric Sondheimer, a Los Angeles Times sportswriter.
“He was tough kid because he played high school football. He was the quarterback at Chatsworth until he got hurt and that kind of convinced him to stick with baseball,” Sondheimer told KCUR’s Steve Kraske on “Up To Date.”
“I’m sure if you have a football around the Kansas City Royals dugout, he’d be happy to throw a few spirals for everybody.”
Moustakas, 26, certainly seemed to take it all in stride, telling the media after the game, which the Royals won 2-1, that the guys in the dugout were part of the catch.
“Those people helped me up the entire way, didn’t let me fall, and kind of lifted me up out of there,” he said. “It was pretty awesome.”
The Royals have made that quote famous into a meme on their Facebook page, along with a great picture of the catch.
Moustakas has made several critical plays during the playoffs, both with his glove and his bat, which didn’t surprise Sondheimer, who said he’s always effective in post season play.
“In high school, every year he went to Dodgers Stadium because that’s where Chatsworth was,” Sondheimer said. “And that prepared him for the pressure of the playoffs.”
