Perkins steals HR, then smashes one in sensational night on the field

MILWAUKEE -- What’s more satisfying for an outfielder, robbing a home run or hitting one?

The Brewers’ Blake Perkins had the pleasure of doing both in the same inning on what turned out to be the night of his life in center field during Wednesday’s 10-6 win over the Cubs. Call it a smash and grab job.

“He pretty much won the game for us on defense,” said Christian Yelich. “That’s the best game I’ve seen him play, and it was a good time for it.”

Besides hitting a two-run home run amid the five-run rally that sent the Brewers cruising toward the ninth victory in the team’s last 12 games at home, Perkins made a trio of catches worthy of the highlight reel. None was more impactful than his leaping grab of Christopher Morel’s deep drive in the third inning, when the Brewers were nursing a 2-1 lead.

The baseball flew a Statcast-projected 405 feet before Perkins pulled it back in front of the 400-foot marker on the center-field wall. Had it cleared, it would have been a go-ahead, two-run homer.

“I feel like I say it to everyone, but [it starts with] practicing in batting practice,” Perkins said. “Knowing the ball flight off the bat. I feel like I’ve made that play so many times. Not the exact same way, but it’s just kind of natural now. I don’t know how else to put it.”

When Perkins came down with the baseball, Brewers starter Bryse Wilson raised his arms in celebration. Off the bat, he thought Morel had a sure home run.

“That’s the best feeling ever,” Wilson said. “It’s super mixed feelings, because I just made a terrible pitch and obviously he hit it the way he’s supposed to, and then your defense bails you out like that. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

There’s a certain freedom about chances like that, Perkins explained.

“I think the beauty of making catches like that is you can’t really lose,” Perkins said. “You go for it, and if you’re not able to make the play, it’s a home run anyway. I think I kind of thrive on that, knowing that this can change the game if I make the play.”

It wasn’t his only mark on the game. With two outs, the bases loaded and the Cubs within three runs in the fifth inning, Perkins made a nice running catch of Dansby Swanson’s deep fly ball before banging into the wall.

Then, in the seventh, Perkins left his feet once again to make a diving catch at the warning track to take away extra bases from Ian Happ.

“On both sides of the ball today, it was tough,” Happ said.

That play was “for sure” the most challenging of the night, Perkins said.

“That ball was hit way more of a line drive and it was tailing away from me the whole time,” Perkins said. “That was definitely a tougher play.”

Perkins has a knack for making tough plays look easy during his two seasons with the Brewers.

“I’ll be honest with you,” Wilson said, “when he first came up last year and he was playing mostly right field, looking from the bullpen sometimes it was like, ‘Gosh, is that guy even trying?’ He just does it so smoothly. For him to have the game he had today, it makes everybody so happy because of the guy he is off the field. Just an awesome dude, fun to be around.

“For him to start becoming the player he can truly be is fun to watch.”

So, back to the beginning: Which is better, robbing a homer or hitting one?

“Well, I think for the game situation, the home-run robbery was a better momentum boost,” Perkins said with a smile. “But hitting a home run in a big league game against the Cubs is hard to beat. So selfishly, I’ll say [hitting] the home run.”