Saturday afternoon’s matchup between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves drew attention for Jen Pawol becoming the first female umpire in MLB history. However, Jurickson Profar made sure the players on the field drew attention as well with a spectacular leaping catch in the fourth inning.
Marlins DH Agustín Ramírez got an excellent swing on a low and inside 87 mph splitter from Braves pitcher Hurston Waldrep, driving the ball deep to left field. Ramírez appeared to have his 18th home run of the season, but Profar expertly tracked the fly ball. The 12-year veteran timed his jump perfectly to get to the top of the left-field wall and snare the ball before it landed in the visitors’ bullpen.
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Waldrep had a similar reaction to most observers, holding his hands to his head in disbelief that Profar bailed him out of giving up a home run.
The catch maintained a 3-0 lead for Atlanta in the top of the fourth and kept Waldrep’s line scoreless until he allowed a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Xavier Edwards. The rookie right-hander lasted until the seventh when he gave up a leadoff single to Liam Hicks and was pulled from the game after throwing 89 pitches.
Yet Waldrep’s line score would have looked worse if not for Profar scaling the wall and reaching over the fence to rob the Marlins of a home run.
Interestingly, advanced metrics haven’t provided a flattering portrayal of Profar’s defense in left field this season. He’s charged with -8 Defensive Runs Saved and -8 Outs Above Average in his 35 games (308 1/3 innings) at the position in 2025.
Profar has played his most games defensively in left field with 534, followed by 219 games at second base and 104 at shortstop during a career in which his best asset has been his positional versatility.
However, Waldrep and most Braves fans — and probably Ramírez, as well — might take issue with that assessment after the display of athleticism he provided on Saturday.
The Braves went on to win, 7-1, with Waldrep allowing just one run in his second start of the season.
