With one out in the bottom of the ninth Monday night, Buffalo Bisons pitcher T.J. Zeuch was working on a no-hitter when the Rochester Red Wings’ Ian Miller stepped to the plate. Zeuch got ahead in the count, 3-1, but then Miller looped a fly ball to center field. The no-hit bid appeared to be over.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
But Jonathan Davis saved the gem with an incredible diving catch:
Oh, and here's the second-to-last out.
@3_JonathanDavis with the INSANE grab to preserve the no-hitter for @TJZeuch #Bisons #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/K2YUPQuee5
— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) August 20, 2019
Zeuch forced the next hitter into a groundout to secure the 3-0 victory, and the Bisons’ first no-hitter since Bartolo Colon tossed one 1997. Buffalo is the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, who selected Zeuch in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
And he can thank a 15th-rounder for the first no-hitter of his professional career. Davis was picked by Toronto in 2013 out of Central Arkansas, and made his MLB debut last season on Sept. 5.
Davis’ grab Monday night earned him the top spot on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 Plays — a spot he’s found himself in before. On June 21, Davis’ leaping grab against the fence in left-center saved a couple runs in the game and also put him in SportsCenter’s Top 10:
Well, he already has @MLB's Catch of the Year, why not @MiLB's too?#Bisons OF @3_JonathanDavis leaps and crashes into the wall to save two runs for the Herd! #SCTop10 @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/2QbiQtb0fz
— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) June 22, 2019
And that catch came after Davis made a remarkable catch for the Blue Jays on May 29:
After getting 25 plate appearances over 20 games for the big-league club in 2018, Davis has earned 52 plate appearances over 18 games for the Blue Jays this season.
Davis is also a follower of Jesus. “God is great and I’ll forever tell it everywhere I go,” he says on Twitter. He often posts about his faith on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByL3iNEA9Xs/
The 27-year-old hopes his impressive diving catches will lead to more big-league call-ups.
RELATED STORIES:
— Toronto Blue Jays rookie Bo Bichette enjoying MLB debut for the ages
— Letter by 9-year-old Red Sox fan inspired Chris Davis to break out of historic slump
— Josh Hamilton inducted into Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, thankful for Jesus’ help
