Blaze Alexander gets to live dream of throwing out runner at home vs. Red Sox

PHOENIX — Blaze Alexander remembers watching YouTube highlight compilations of the best throws in MLB history while growing up (sometimes, admittedly, while bored in class).

Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente, Ichiro Suzuki and Vladimir Guerrero boasted some of the game’s legendary cannons, which Alexander marveled at as a young ballplayer.

On Friday, Alexander made a play he hopes will land on some of those highlight videos during his third career start in center field.

The Boston Red Sox trailed the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 with two outs in the third inning at Chase Field. With two runners aboard, Romy Gonzalez singled up the middle.

Boston catcher Carlos Narvaez wasn’t the fastest runner rounding third, but the ball wasn’t hit hard enough to give Alexander a reasonable shot to throw him out.

Toss reasonable out the window, as Alexander delivered a frozen rope on the money to cut down the would-be tying run and end the inning. Catcher Gabriel Moreno clapped after applying the quick tag and pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez acknowledged Alexander, who threw his hands up before running in.

Blaze Alexander unleashes some serious heat to the plate to cut down the tying run 😮 pic.twitter.com/CiZXDrEnVs

— MLB (@MLB) September 6, 2025

“ I’d go on YouTube and I’d search up best infield arms, best outfield throws,” Alexander said. “That was a cool moment to save a run. … It’s a cool moment for me, but super cool moment for the team.”

It was a major momentum swing in the game, as the Diamondbacks swiftly extended a 2-1 lead to 6-1 before holding on for a 10-5 victory.

Back in the dugout, manager Torey Lovullo heard Alexander tell outfield coach Dave McKay he had more in the tank. McKay told him to keep the throws lower to give the cut-off man a chance to make a read. There are still lessons to be learned.

“ I don’t know what I got clocked at,” Alexander said. “I’m not tooting my own horn, but I’ll throw a couple of hundreds here pretty soon.”

The throw was not too much of a surprise to right fielder Corbin Carroll, who has shown off his arm strength on a number of occasions this season.

“He’s had an unbelievable arm since as long as you can remember,” Carroll said. “We knew it would translate right away in the outfield, and it’s fun to watch. … One of those natural arms. I’d like to see what he could hit on the mound.”

Alexander hit 99 mph throwing from across the diamond at a Perfect Game event back in high school. This has always been a weapon, but now he’s been asked to deploy it a bit differently.

The Diamondbacks have tapped into Alexander’s versatility to move him beyond the infield. Lovullo compared it to former longtime Dodgers utility man Chris Taylor and ex-player Ben Zobrist.

Between a diving catch and an outfielder assist, Alexander has already showcased the traits that made him a worthwhile bet to mold into an outfield role.

He has bought into learning the position, and he even crashed into the wall while trying to make a play an inning earlier. Continuing to get reps and working with McKay will help him iron out his outfield game, which makes life easier for the Diamondbacks due to flexibility.

“He lives on the edge of his seat, plays that way and he’s got his game under control,” Lovullo said. “Good breaks, making great plays. … The game is slowing down for him and that was a huge out for us.”

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