ST. LOUIS – Not only did Matt Wallner's outfield assist end the sixth inning of the Twins' 3-2 victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday, but it put him in some rare company.
Twins outfielder Matt Wallner exceeds the speed limit with Tuesday night assist
Matt Wallner's 100+ mph throw showed off the arm of the former pitcher as the Twins edged the Cardinals in St. Louis.
August 2, 2023 at 1:26PM
The Twins left fielder's throw, which was directed toward the plate, but at the perfect height for third baseman Jorge Polanco to cut it off, was clocked at 100.4 miles per hour, according to StatCast. Polanco cut off the throw and tossed the ball to shortstop Carlos Correa, who tagged out Lars Nootbar at third base following Nolan Arenado's RBI single.
If the ball would've flown past Polanco, Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers was confident the throw would've beat Taylor Motter to the plate.
"I've never thrown 100 of anything," pitcher Pablo López said, smiling. "The throw made it to the cutoff man before I got behind home plate to back it up."
Wallner's throw at 100.4 mph was the second-fastest outfield assist in MLB this season, according to MLB.com researcher Sarah Langs. It was the Twins' third-fastest outfield assist since 2015, trailing only Aaron Hicks (101.9 mph on June 12, 2015) and Eddie Rosario (100.6 mph on Aug. 23, 2018).
"I think," Wallner said, "that was as good as I could have thrown that."
The former Forest Lake and Southern Mississippi pitcher fielded Arenado's single on one hop and fell to the ground when he put his 6-4, 220-pound frame into the throw.
"He can really throw, and he uncorked a good one just the way you would want," said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, noting how deep in left field Wallner fielded the ball. "Is there a chance he's out [at home] on the play? I think there's absolutely a chance he's out of the play."
Wallner is known for his power in the batter's box and his arm. Improving his all-around defense is a priority. He works on all aspects of his defense with outfield/third-base coach Tommy Watkins before games, including the accuracy of his throws.
"The higher you go, the more it really matters," Wallner said. "You get exposed in every aspect of the game, so it's honestly my No. 1 priority right now."
After an incredible 25-year career that saw him become MLB's all-time stolen bases leader and the greatest leadoff hitter ever, Rickey Henderson died Friday at age 65.
