Former Tennessee infielder Christian Moore delivered on a high IQ play for the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
As L.A. led Boston 5-4 in the top of the fifth inning, the Red Sox were threatening to score the tying run with a man on second and no outs. Boston first baseman Abraham Toro hit a sharp grounder to the left side of the infield, which was corralled by L.A. shortstop Zach Neto, beginning a pickle situation with the runner on second. The pickle rundown eventually got to Moore, the starting second baseman, who made the tag for the out.
The play didn’t stop there, though. Moore knew that this was an opportunity for Toro to steal an extra bag, so he acted on his instincts, throwing it backwards to second base to get the out on the original hitter.
Just like that, the bases were cleared without a run, and two outs were on the table. Moore’s heads-up play was exactly what the Angels needed in that moment as they capitalized on Boston’s baserunning blunders.
The #Angels get a much-needed double play thanks to some bad baserunning from the Red Sox. And Boston manager Alex Cora just got ejected. pic.twitter.com/UBpqQBmoQQ
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 24, 2025
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Beyond the Halo on X put together a quick compilation of some of Moore’s best defensive plays through the first 11 games of his MLB career. He’s played good competition, too, in series against the Orioles, the Yankees, the Astros, and now the Red Sox.
Christian Moore has made some nice plays defensively so far, above my expectations. pic.twitter.com/RoTUpMb7L6
— BTH (@BeyondTheHalo) June 24, 2025
In 86 full innings in the infield, Moore has recorded a perfect fielding percentage (1.000) so far with 26 total assists. He’s also turned five double plays, with all of his appearances coming at the second base position.
Later in the same game, with the contest tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Moore recorded a sacrifice fly to give L.A. the go-ahead run. Even though the Angels scored a few more to end up with the 9-5 win, Moore’s sac-fly ended up being the difference maker that the Halos needed.
CMo feelin’ fly 😎 pic.twitter.com/TTs139citW
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 24, 2025
C-Mo, as he was often referred to as in Knoxville, has been making a name for himself in his first stint in the big leagues. While he’s still working to find a bit more consistency at the plate (.156 batting average), he’s had some major flashes that are encouraging to see. He hit his first home run in a game against the Astros, led a benches-clearing stand in that same game against Houston, and has proven to be a reliable middle infielder in his short time with the team.
Christian Moore makes a snow cone catch for the out🔥🔥#RepTheHalo
pic.twitter.com/4csUGg3sa6— Tri-Star Network (@TriStar_Network) June 24, 2025
