Watch Jacoby Ellsbury channel his inner Ken Griffey Jr (Video)
Jacoby Ellsbury channeled Ken Griffey Jr. with a great catch tonight against the Kansas City Royals.
New York Yankees centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury showed shades of his days with the Boston Red Sox earlier tonight and channeled Ken Griffey Jr.
On starter Luis Severino’s first pitch of the game, Ellsbury chased down Alcides Escobar’s long fly ball en route to the first out. The only drawback was that he hit the wall immediately afterward and appeared shaken up after the fact.
How shaken up? Well, as the video shows, Ellsbury’s glove came off and he definitely looked as though he’d been concussed.
Ellsbury’s crash into the wall led manager Joe Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue to jog all the way to the outfield and perform the usual litany of tests on their outfielder, including smelling salts.
He would eventually leave though with concussion-like symptoms.
This was a breath of fresh air for Yankees fans, even though Ellsbury was replaced by Aaron Hicks in the 2nd inning.
Ellsbury signed a seven-year, $153 million contract with the Yankees prior to the 2014 season and has looked average at best. Both his power and speed have decreased in the past two years and his contract has become an albatross.
Tonight’s catch was just a reminder of how great Jacoby Ellsbury was at one point and can still be. He may not lead the American League in steals as he did three times before, but his fielding tonight shows that he easily has some fuel left in the tank.
Fans and Yankees management are surely hoping that Ellsbury won’t need to miss extended time after his amazing catch. For all his talent, he has a reputation as being oft-injured. He has played in 140 games just five times since debuting in 2007.
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Stay tuned to FanSided for more updates on Jacoby Ellsbury as well as highlights from tonight’s Yankees game!