BALTIMORE -- ¡°That¡¯s a tough answer,¡± Cedric Mullins said, the 29-year-old center fielder pondering after being posed with this challenging question:

Was the catch Mullins made in the first inning of the Orioles¡¯ 7-4 win over the Twins at Camden Yards on Monday night the best of his career? He has a deep highlight tape from his seven-year MLB tenure filled with sensational grabs at ballparks all over the country.

After a moment of consideration, Mullins gave it the same ranking as his O¡¯s teammates.

¡°I¡¯d give it 1,¡± Mullins said. ¡°The fellas gave it 1. I¡¯ll go right there with them.¡±

Time to break down Mullins¡¯ latest defensive gem.

The Twins had a runner on third base in the opening frame when Kyle Farmer surely thought he had a two-out RBI extra-base knock after connecting with a 2-2 sinker from Baltimore left-hander Cole Irvin that was left out over the plate. The ball came off Farmer¡¯s bat at an exit velocity of 101.6 mph, per Statcast, and appeared headed for the left-center-field gap.

Mullins had been shaded closer to right-center, but he got a great jump and ran at an average sprint speed of 28.3 feet per second and covered 70 feet. He then made an incredibly well-timed leap to complete the catch, with the ball landing in his glove while he was midair.

¡°It was a difficult catch. Diving away from the field is kind of new,¡± Mullins said. ¡°The instincts take over there. The reads that I get during BP are what leads to that, taking it serious, making sure I¡¯m getting good jumps on the ball just during BP. It¡¯s the little things that matter.¡±

Irvin was quite appreciative of Mullins¡¯ help. The Orioles¡¯ starter raised both of his arms straight up -- leaving them there as he started to back off the field -- and flashed a huge smile while tipping his cap to his teammate. On the O's broadcast, MASN's Kevin Brown raved about Mullins making an "impossible catch."

It wasn¡¯t the first (or even second) time Irvin was the beneficiary of a marvelous Mullins play. Last year, Mullins had a diving catch on July 2 and a homer-stealing grab on July 7 -- both games started by Irvin, and both times, it was Minnesota¡¯s Byron Buxton who got robbed.

¡°It seems like every time we¡¯re playing the Twins and I¡¯m on the mound, he¡¯s going to do something pretty cool,¡± said Irvin, who plans to buy Mullins a bottle of whiskey as a gift. ¡°That might be one of the best plays I¡¯ve ever had behind me in general. That was one of the coolest plays. Shoot, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever see a play like that while I¡¯m pitching again.

¡°From the angle I had it, man, that was really cool. I didn¡¯t think there was a chance he was going to catch it, and all of a sudden, there¡¯s a glove and it¡¯s in it. It¡¯s an incredible play.¡±

Added Twins manager Rocco Baldelli: ¡°I can¡¯t tell you I thought he was making that play.¡±

O's manager Brandon Hyde ranks Mullins' catch on Monday just slightly behind his remarkable homer robbery last Aug. 13 in Seattle, where he preserved a one-run lead in the ninth and then swatted a game-winning home run in the 10th.

¡°This play -- I think [left fielder Austin] Hays said it felt like he was hovering over the ground for a while and he caught that ball behind him,¡± Hyde said. ¡°Ced¡¯s a Gold Glove center fielder, and he¡¯s playing great defense for us so far again this year.¡±

He¡¯s raking, too. Mullins hit one of three O¡¯s homers on Monday, extending his hitting streak to seven games. He is 9-for-21 (.429) over that span, and he¡¯s tied for the team lead with four home runs.

Mullins already has won MLB¡¯s Electric Play of the Week once this season, and he could soon earn it again. He received the honor for his April 6 catch in Pittsburgh, where he extended the game with a run-saving grab to rob the Pirates¡¯ Ke¡¯Bryan Hayes in the 11th inning.

Mullins¡¯ latest sensational catch -- which may end up being one of the best defensive plays of the 2024 season -- came while he was wearing No. 42 for Jackie Robinson Day. Fittingly enough, the opportunity time on Monday¡¯s grab was 4.2 seconds, per Statcast.

¡°It¡¯s about opportunity, I think that¡¯s what it boils down to,¡± Mullins said of Robinson¡¯s legacy. ¡°At the end of the day, that¡¯s what he fought for, and for guys and players like myself to be able to have this opportunity to play this game at the highest level. So it¡¯s nothing that I take for granted.¡±