Have You Seen This? Former Salt Lake Bee Jo Adell robs 3 homers in a game

DEEP RIGHT FIELD — Water covers over 70% of the earth, but Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell might be able to cover the rest.

Adell, who developed his craft while with the Salt Lake Bees for parts of four seasons, took back not one, not two, but three home runs that proved to be pivotal in the Angels' 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners Saturday night.

While the first two were impressive, the third turned into an iconic moment for fans at Angel Stadium. With the Angels up by a run in the final inning, Seattle infielder J.P. Crawford slugged what appeared to be a game-tying shot, when Adell reached out and snagged it while tumbling over the right field wall into the seats.

After a falling out of broadcast frame for a few moments, he rose from the abyss with his glove raised to signal his catch while Crawford watched in awe, and 44,000 fans went crazy.

Kayleigh K., who was among the crowd behind Adell, captured the moment he held up the ball, as he stood alongside the fans in the right field section. It immediately went viral within the baseball community as a surreal moment in MLB history, earning the coveted ArtButMakeItSports treatment.

Those who have tracked Adell's career may find the night extra special. Adell was a first-round draft pick out of high school in 2017 who rose to Triple-A Salt Lake by 2019, but he struggled to latch with the Angels after making his big league debut in 2020 — partially because of his defense.

Baseball influencer js9innings quickly dug back into the archives to find two bloopers early in Adell's career, where he dropped catches that led to home runs, to show how he's made the adjustments to improve as a player several seasons later.

Adell has been candid about his early struggles, telling KSL in 2023 that he began developing a new daily work routine he hoped would help him stay consistent at the highest level of baseball.

"Once you find that level of consistency in what you're doing, the success follows," he said.

That it has. Adell has stuck with the majors since his last promotion that season, and smashed 37 home runs last season to lead the team. He was named a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, too, and Saturday's game highlighted why.

It caught the eye of Torii Hunter, another former Bee and one of the best home run robbery artists in the 21st century.

"I was jumping up and down. I almost passed out," he told the Associated Press afterward. The outlet also noted that it could be the first time in league history somone robbed three home runs in one game.

Adell told reporters that he was "fired up" after the first one and feeling confident after the second, but even he thought the third and final one was "crazy."

"The ball was hit high enough to where I could get there. I watched it (into my glove), fell over and ended up in somebody's lap," he said. "I don't know who it was, but it was a softer landing than I expected. The fans were as fired up as me."

The Mariners also learned from their mistake. Daniel Kramer, a Mariners reporter for MLB.com, took a photo of the team's hilarious game plan for Sunday, which simply read: "Don't hit the ball to (Jo) Adell."

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