Althouse: The theater of did he really catch it?

September 12, 2026

The theater of did he really catch it?

HOW DOES LUIS LARA KEEP DOING THIS?????? pic.twitter.com/kTT7iZZw0k
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 12, 2026

37 comments:

Rory said...: Willie Mays, at age 39:

https://youtu.be/TDmwdJug57c?is=ALufotSZdGe0DMns; 9/12/26, 8:05 AM
Wince said...: Did he increase his peak hang-time by bending his knees and raising his lower legs to create upward momentum?; 9/12/26, 8:21 AM
boatbuilder said...: Nice catch. The game was 9-0 so not really crucial.; 9/12/26, 8:28 AM
Peachy+2 said...: the other guy looks more miffed than delighted... perhaps?; 9/12/26, 8:35 AM
Leland said...: It meant the world to the pitcher’s ERA and preserving the shutout.; 9/12/26, 8:41 AM
Humperdink said...: Not sure how he knew he caught it. With a 24” long mitt, how could he feel it? (Sarc alert); 9/12/26, 8:43 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "The game was 9-0 so not really crucial."

In the end, the score was 20-0.; 9/12/26, 8:43 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Lara is only 5'7". How does he go higher than others? Does smallness add springiness?; 9/12/26, 8:44 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: The ability of major league outfielders to track fly balls in the air and then make catches like this is truly remarkable. And yes, I thought the other guy was a little upset - at first.; 9/12/26, 8:49 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: 5-7 athletes - black ones anyway - can dunk the basketball. So I'm not shocked.; 9/12/26, 8:50 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: Body Mass and Leverage: Shorter or lighter athletes often have a mathematical advantage in velocity and impulse because they move less total body mass relative to their muscular force output. Taller athletes must overcome longer levers and heavier frames; 9/12/26, 8:52 AM
Peachy+2 said...: check out those Glutes.
He has strong Gluteus maximus.
He could also be part tigger. Wonderful things.; 9/12/26, 8:54 AM
bagoh20 said...: Wow! The T-word is legal?; 9/12/26, 9:04 AM
Mr. D said...: I don't know how he does it, but as a lifelong Brewers fan I'm certainly grateful he's doing it for the True Blue Brew Crew.; 9/12/26, 9:06 AM
ForestwithouttreeS said...: Since 1900 there have been 9 20+ run shutouts. Brewers have done it twice in the past month; 9/12/26, 9:07 AM
rehajm said...: "He could also be part tigger. Wonderful things."

...so NOT the only one? I KNEW IT!!!!!; 9/12/26, 9:09 AM
Robert Marshall said...: Until I googled it, I was stumped by the "Wisco" jerseys!; 9/12/26, 9:32 AM
Smilin' Jack said...: Consulting God:

“Elite high jumpers generally stand between 6'3" and 6'5" tall for men and 5'9" to 6'1" for women”; 9/12/26, 9:36 AM
Curious George said...: The walls at AmFam are only 8 feet high. He caught the ball at about 8-1/2 feet high. I would be amazed if he didn't catch that ball. Yawn.; 9/12/26, 10:06 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Grok on a 5'7" power to leap: " A 5'7" outfielder can produce a bigger vertical displacement (and sometimes a higher glove) than a taller teammate for several overlapping reasons, none of which require violating physics.

Power-to-weight and limb inertia. Jump height is set by takeoff velocity. Shorter athletes usually have less mass to accelerate and shorter limbs, which have lower rotational inertia. The same muscle force therefore produces higher angular acceleration at the hip, knee, and ankle. That advantage shows up in both standing and running jumps. Compact builds also tend to have a favorable femur-to-tibia ratio that lets the thigh act as a more efficient lever.Relative strength and fiber type. Elite outfielders are selected and trained for rate of force development. A lighter player who can still generate high ground-reaction forces ends up with a higher relative impulse. Fast-twitch dominance plus years of plyometrics, Olympic lifts, and sprint work amplify that.Timing, technique, and the wall. Most “leaping catches” are not pure standing verticals. The player times the last two or three strides so the jump coincides with peak upward momentum, then often plants a foot or hand on the padding. A shorter athlete who has already closed the gap with an elite first-step “jump” (Statcast’s first-3-second metric) arrives in better position to convert horizontal speed into vertical lift. Recent examples such as Luis Lara (listed 5'7") illustrate the combination: reaction, route, and then a timed explosion at the wall.

Reach math. A 6'3" player starts with a higher standing reach. To match glove height the 5'7" player must jump farther. When the shorter player does clear that gap, the visual contrast looks even more dramatic. The taller man is not “unable” to jump; he simply needs a larger absolute impulse to produce the same extra inches of glove height.In short, the combination of lower mass, better relative power, limb geometry, and practiced timing routinely lets compact, explosive outfielders get their gloves to balls that taller, less springy players miss. The same principles appear in high-jump and dunking data: the highest relative jumpers are rarely the tallest people on the field."; 9/12/26, 10:15 AM
Wilbur said...: 6-7 Yankee outfielder Aaron Judge could've caught that ball with barely a leap at all.

It was a good play, but you see homerun-robbing catches on a nearly-daily basis in MLB. The modern ballpacks have fence heights which enable them.; 9/12/26, 11:02 AM
Smilin' Jack said...: “The same principles appear in high-jump and dunking data: the highest relative jumpers are rarely the tallest people on the field."

It’s not the relative but the absolute height that counts. Relatively, there are many insects that can far out jump anyone.; 9/12/26, 11:03 AM
Deep State Reformer said...: That was an amazing catch. Does he do this often? If so then it isn't just luck.; 9/12/26, 11:24 AM
Original Mike said...: "…none of which require violating physics."

Well, that's a relief.; 9/12/26, 11:26 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: Darius Clark holds the record for vertical leap - at 53 inches. He's 5-11.; 9/12/26, 12:01 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Spud webb was 5-6 when he won the 1986 NBA dunking contest. Nate Robinson won the NBA slam dunk contest 3 times, he's 5-9. Mugsey Bogues in 5-3 and can touch the rim.; 9/12/26, 12:04 PM
boatbuilder said...: Norm MacDonald about the mid-2000s Denver Nuggets: "No, I love the Nuggets. They're making a movie about them, it's called "Black Men Can't Jump Either."; 9/12/26, 12:15 PM
Michael Fitzgerald said...: Look at that rodent hole at the base of the wall @ :27! Marmots...; 9/12/26, 12:45 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I'm not one for theatrics between the lines kid.; 9/12/26, 2:22 PM
Lazarus said...: Say hey!; 9/12/26, 2:29 PM
William Tyroler said...: Impressive, to be sure, at 5'7". But not Muggsy Bogues-impressive, https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTitMYdF7et/.; 9/12/26, 2:48 PM
mccullough said...: Mookie Betts is 5’9 and had a 42 inch vertical when he was younger.

Shorter guys with high verticals have to dunk with two hands because they can’t palm it with one hand. Even some 6’3 guys can’t palm it well enough to dunk during a game.

If Lara’s standing reach in shoes is 7’2 then he can catch a ball that’s 10’8 in the air. Maybe even higher if his vertical exceeds 42 inches; 9/12/26, 3:34 PM
Butkus51 said...: meh, do that in Wrigley

;); 9/12/26, 6:41 PM
Original Mike said...: The height of the wall is irrelevant. That ball would have been at the height it was irrespective of how high the wall was.; 9/12/26, 7:10 PM
Saint Croix said...: Ichiro climbs the wall; 9/12/26, 9:58 PM
RMc said...: Wisco...?; 9/13/26, 6:06 AM
gspencer said...: Some explanations to the "Wisco,"

https://www.reddit.com/r/Brewers/comments/1sgwfal/wisco/; 9/13/26, 8:08 AM

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