Matt Kemp has been out of action with a hamstring injury since the end of May, but he finally returned to the Dodgers' lineup to face the rival Giants on Tuesday night. It's a good thing he did, too, as, in the top of the ninth with two on, two outs, and the Dodgers up by just one, he was there in deep center to make a game-ending catch:
Everything about this is perfect. Kemp reaches out as far as he can and snags the ball out of midair, but has the presence of mind to stop himself before he crashes straight into the center field wall. Instead, he slides to curb his momentum, and loses his hat in the process. Kemp emphatically slams the wall, and snatches his bat back up from the ground.
I'd like to think his scream in between the last two moments was a Mark Henry-esque "THAT'S WHAT I DO" directed at Marco Scutaro, the victim of Kemp's grab. Either way, we missed you and your excellence dearly, Matt Kemp -- don't you leave us like that again.
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