Guardians’ unusual play in Boston highlighted as one of the wildest of 2025 season

The 2025 season was an unusual one for the Guardians. While they got another great season from José Ramírez and a near-historic season from their bullpen, they also lost Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz to a gambling investigation and had to storm back from a 15 1/2 game deficit to win the American League Central. 

But even with all that craziness, one zany play stands out among others when it comes to the Guardians’ season: Jhonkensy Noel versus Fenway Park's Pesky Pole. The play was recently listed as the 12th craziest play of the 2025 season by MLB.com’s Michael Clair. 

On Sept. 1, Noel and the Guardians traveled to Fenway Park for an important game against the Boston Red Sox at Cleveland began its eventual run toward the AL Central title. 

And Noel, who was called up earlier in the day as the part of the September roster expansion, was tasked with manning right field and ended up being involved in a play we may never see again. 

With the Red Sox leading 5-3 in the sixth inning, Trevor Story hit a ball deep into the right field corner by the Pesky Pole that traveled only 306 feet and had an expected batting average of just .010. 

Guardians' Jhonkensy Noel turned in one of the weirdest plays of the 2025 season

In 29 MLB parks, it would have been a routine fly out. But in Boston it became an adventure. Story’s liner curved toward the Pesky Pole, where Noel got a bit of his glove on the ball before the ball bounced out, hit the pole, hit his glove and then a fan. 

At first glance, it looked like a foul ball. But, after replay review, the play was overturned and ruled a home run. 

“I was trying to catch the ball, and I felt like I ran into a kid,” Noel said after the game, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. "I had it in my glove. But then when I hit the kid, that's when I felt the ball come out of the glove. How tough is this outfield. I got a little upset about that play, because I know, ‘OK, maybe the ruling was that way.’ But I don’t think it should have been a homer. Maybe a double because of the situation, but not a homer.”

That wasn’t the only time the Pesky Pole resulted in some craziness, as Ceddanne Rafaela hit a 308-foot home run around the pole earlier in the year, which is the shortest walk-off home run on record. 

Noel’s play in Boston is a good summation of his disappointing season, as he hit just .162 in 69 games and was designated for assignment last week. But at least we’ll always have his majestic home run in the 2024 postseason and his defensive lowlight from last season.