Rays’ Brett Phillips explained the ‘super weird’ physics of his amazing diving catch

Rays center fielder Brett Phillips was shaded toward right field when Boston’s Trevor Story hit a line drive that had an expected batting average of .380.

The ball was headed toward the left-center field gap, and it appeared Phillips, the former Royals outfielder, had no chance to catch it.

But Phillips did grab it, making a diving snag and he may have received a bit of help.

Here’s the catch.

Rays left fielder Luke Raley had a great view of the play and told Phillips he got some help. That led to Phillips explaining the physics of his catch.

“The angle I took, I knew, lined up towards where it was going to land. But I actually lost it closing in on the ball and picked it back up, and that’s when I decided to dive,” Phillips told MLB.com. “And Luke said that the ball actually curled in towards my glove, which was super weird. … He said the ball, as it hit the tip of my glove, it spun towards my (glove) pocket.”

Yes, the spin of the ball worked to Phillips’ advantage this time, but Statcast numbers show the talent it took to be in position to make the catch.

Phillips ran 90 feet in 4.7 seconds and he had a sprint speed of 29.1 feet per second.

“Unbelievable,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told MLB.com. “Philly really came through for us.”