Although the Chicago White Sox are enduring a historically poor season, they came close to securing an uncommon victory against the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the White Sox had two runners on base, with Nicky Lopez and Andrew Benintendi both hitting singles. This set the stage for Andrew Vaughn, who faced left-hander Andrew Chafin. Vaughn hit a powerful drive to left field, seemingly setting up a walk-off win for the White Sox. However, Travis Jankowski had other plans.

Jankowski tracked the ball’s trajectory from the moment it left Vaughn’s bat, and the Rangers’ left fielder ultimately caught the deep fly ball that appeared destined for the White Sox’s bullpen.

This crucial catch preserved Texas’s 4-3 lead with one out remaining in the ninth inning. Jankowski’s confident execution was remarkable; he positioned himself perfectly and jumped at the precise moment to deny Vaughn a home run.

The Rangers secured the final out of the game and earned their 62nd win of the season thanks to a fly out from Lenyn Sosa two batters later. However, the victory was almost jeopardized by another tense moment following Travis Jankowski’s incredible home run robbery.

After Jankowski’s play, the White Sox managed to load the bases on Chafin when Gavin Sheets drew a walk. Fortunately, Grant Anderson came in and induced a weak fly ball to close out the game.

Chafin, having narrowly avoided giving up a walk-off home run, took to Instagram to express his gratitude to Travis Jankowski for rescuing him from a potentially disastrous situation.

“Considering the stakes and difficulty… no way that’s not catch if the year,” wrote X user @JDCowboys2.

“That’s an absolutely insane, Play of the Year style catch as well by Jankowski holy s**t,” added @ChrisMNovak.

Some fans are even calling for Rangers manager Bruce Bochy to utilize Travis Jankowski’s elite glove in the more difficult center field position.

Travis Jankowski is far from the flashiest baseball player.

He rarely hits the ball hard; for his career, he has a grand total of 11 home runs, with eight of those coming in the previous decade. Jankowski entered the Rangers’ Wednesday night game against the White Sox with a ghastly slash line of .196/.259/.235, and he has hit just one home run on the year. His value comes mostly from his defensive versatility and baserunning utility.