The Los Angeles Angels‘ 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners was one of the most-talked-about contests early in the season, as outfielder Jo Adell robbed three home runs in that contest. A candidate for Picture of the Year was taken of Adell after his circus catch into the stands. The Athletic managed to track down the fan who took the picture.
Kayleigh Kraus from Victorville, CA, and a mother of five, snapped the iconic photo with her cell phone immediately after the catch, per Tyler Kepner of The Athletic. With Adell holding his left arm up with the ball in his glove, fans surrounding him, and a fantastic angle of the field, Kraus captured a brilliant sports photo for the 2026 MLB season.
Kraus shared her experience taking a picture of Jo Adell. To her amazement, nobody was standing in front of her when the moment happened. The Angels fan also revealed she’s had plenty of practice getting her phone out to take a picture as quickly as possible, due to her five children growing up playing sports.
“I had nobody in front of me,” said Kraus. “Nobody messing my view up… We have a bunch of adult children, and they all played sports. I’ve just been used to grabbing my phone as fast as I can to take pictures of them getting goals or baskets or whatever.”
She went on to explain how she initially posted the image before going to bed. Only to wake up and realize the picture was going viral on social media.
“I (tagged) it on Jo Adell’s Instagram and his wife’s because I was just like, ‘Oh, man, this would be a great picture for them,’” explained Kraus. “I didn’t really think anything of it. And then the Angels posted something like, ‘Show us your best pictures from the night,’ so I posted mine.
“And then I went to bed because by that time, after we all wound down and stuff, it was probably midnight. So then, at 6 o’clock in the morning, my husband’s like, ‘Everybody’s posting your picture!’ I’m like, ‘What?’ And I get on my phone, and it was just crazy. Tons of messages, tons of posts.”
That picture of Jo Adell will likely remain relevant in Angels history for quite some time. Perhaps forever. While Kraus and her family plan to attend more games this season, perhaps she’ll catch another iconic photo before the 2026 campaign ends.
The Los Angeles Angels’ 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners was one of the most-talked-about contests early in the season, as outfielder Jo Adell robbed three home runs in that contest. A candidate for Picture of the Year was taken of Adell after his circus catch into the stands. The Athletic managed to track down the fan who took the picture.