Watch: Daulton Varsho makes unbelievable back-handed catch leaving Jarren Duran perplexed at Rogers Center

Toronto CF Daulton Varsho made an unbelievable catch in the series opener between the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox at Rogers Center on Tuesday night that left Red Sox LF Jarren Duran dazed and confused.

Such was the sequence of events that played out in the top of the fourth inning that it left both dugouts and fans baffled. With one out, nobody on and a 1-0 count, Duran muscled an off-speed breaking ball by Jays pitcher Dillon Tate toward the center field.

Varsho tracked the ball well and made the run toward the center-field wall. In the process, he slipped and fell on the dirt track but still managed to backhand the ball while kneeling with his back toward the mound.

The sight left everyone inside the stadium – including the commentators – perplexed, and the home crowd began applauding Varsho's valiant effort of catching the ball and taking a hit away from Duran, who had already homered early on in the game.

Watch the video here:

"Just one of the most ridiculous plays you’re ever going to see in the sport of baseball," Underdog's Jared Carrabis wrote on X/Twitter.

Expand Tweet

Daulton Varsho goes hitless while Jarren Duran hits HR in series opener in Toronto

Bowden Francis started on the mound for the Blue Jays in the series opener against the Red Sox at Rogers Center on Tuesday. It was a disastrous outing for Francis as he gave up seven earned runs on eight hits in three frames.

Five different Red Sox hitters crushed a home run against Francis as the away team jumped to a 7-0 start in three innings. Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman, Kristian Campbell and William Abreu were the five batters who hit a HR each.

Expand Tweet

Blue Jays 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run HR to get the home team on board in the bottom of the third inning but the rest of his teammates including Daulton Varsho, Alejandro Kirk, Geroge Springer, Anthony Santander and others faltered at the plate.

The Red Sox won the series opener against the Blue Jays 10-2 in the end. The AL East rivals will play Game 2 on Wednesday and the series finale on Thursday.

The Blue Jays are currently 13-16 for the season, acquiring fourth spot in the division, while the Red Sox are 17-14 and hold second spot in the AL East standings. They are just 1.5 games behind division leaders, the New York Yankees.

About the author

Karan has been a baseball sports betting expert, analyst and content strategist at Sportskeeda since 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Sports Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and worked with the VCU Rams baseball team as a trackman analyst. He started following the sport at 18, watching postseason on television.

Karan is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers owing to their successful history in the sport, and their consistent performances at the highest level. He admires Mookie Betts’ on-field defensive and offensive prowess, along with his off-field charitable exploits, while Bruce Bochy is his favorite coach.

The Mets’ miraculous rally from a two-run deficit in the 1986 World Series Game 6 in the bottom of the 10th inning despite being two outs and two strikes down is his all-time favorite baseball moment.

Karan’s strengths are player profiling and technical deep dives, for which he always refers to reliable sources such as the social media handles of the best MLB analysts.

When not strategizing, he likes to read, listen to music, go for a run, and watch sit-coms.

Know More

Edited by Veer Badani