TORONTO -- The past decade of Blue Jays baseball featured plenty of highlight-reel defensive plays, some of which even belonged to players not named Kevin Pillar. From wall-climbing grabs to diving catches and tumbles into the bleachers, these are Toronto’s best defensive plays from the past 10 years. 1. ’Superman’

TORONTO -- The past decade of Blue Jays baseball featured plenty of highlight-reel defensive plays, some of which even belonged to players not named Kevin Pillar .

From wall-climbing grabs to diving catches and tumbles into the bleachers, these are Toronto’s best defensive plays from the past 10 years.

1. ’Superman’ is born

April 15, 2015, vs. Rays

Remember Pillar, left fielder? Then 26, Pillar was in the early days of his first season as a full-time starter, when plays like this eventually turned him into the human highlight reel Blue Jays fans remember. Pillar’s timing on this play is brilliant, as he plants his foot into the padding of the wall and propels himself up to make the catch at the perfect time. Walking off the field past this wall before each game at Rogers Centre, it’s hard not to look up and wonder, “How?”

2. Josh Donaldson risks it all

June 24, 2015, vs. Rays

One of the plays that Donaldson will be most remembered for in Toronto, this dive into the stands in Tampa Bay kept Marco Estrada’s perfect-game bid alive in the eighth inning. While Estrada couldn’t complete the feat that day, Donaldson’s aggression -- controlled recklessness, let’s call it -- embodies who he was with the Blue Jays. It’s what made him alone worth the price of admission some nights.

3. Pillar robs Mookie with soaring grab

Aug. 28, 2017, vs. Red Sox

Pillar’s skill is on full display here. His routes or breaks on balls weren’t always perfect, but if he had a shot at the ball by the time he reached top speed, you knew what would happen next. It’s something Pillar credits to playing multiple sports growing up. He believes that playing football or basketball, for example, gives him that extra bit of natural athleticism as he tracks balls over his head. This is yet another display of Pillar laying his body on the line. That turf has some cushion to it, but it’s not a pillow.

4. Rajai Davis goes mountain climbing

Aug. 12, 2012, vs. Yankees

Perfect timing. Davis has been a fan favourite at every stop in his career, and it’s plays like this that made Toronto fans fall for the speedy outfielder. Pillar’s jaw-dropper at No. 1 on this list has a slight edge on this grab, but while Pillar had the hit cover, Davis wrote the original.

5. All Mark Buehrle could do was laugh …

Oct. 2, 2015, vs. Rays

This one left Buehrle smiling. Pillar’s future teammate, Luke Maile? Not so much. If you were looking for a still shot of Pillar to put on a poster, this catch would be perfect, as Pillar fully extends with his body flying through the air, well off the ground.

6. Pillar goes ‘thump’

April 10, 2015, vs. Orioles

Another gem from Pillar’s days in left, and another happy Buehrle. Pillar’s diving grabs in center were what he’s known for, but he never showed an ounce of hesitation when running full speed into the wall to make a play. Those walls may be padded, but we’re still talking about a professional athlete racing at top speed, quite literally, into a wall. How many of Pillar’s dinner tabs were picked up by Blue Jays pitchers over the years?

7. Freddy Galvis is all out of glove

April 20, 2019 vs. A’s

No glove required. Galvis is a naturally gifted defender, and few plays showed that like this barehand grab in Oakland last April. It takes a lot of confidence to try that, and it takes even more skill to pull it off.

8. Pillar qualifies for Olympic high jump

July 1, 2018, vs. Tigers

This is another great example of Pillar using the wall to his advantage, as he digs his spikes into the padding and rises up to rob a home run. He went a few inches higher after making the catch, too. Even in games that weren’t particularly close, any ball hit in the air was an opportunity for Pillar to provide a “remember when” moment.

9. Davis lays it all on the line in Tampa

May 29, 2019, vs. Rays

Davis isn’t the biggest player on the roster, but he used every inch of his body to make this tremendous diving catch at full speed, approaching the warning track in left-center field. Like many other plays on this list, Davis thought about the ball first and his body second.

10. A double dose of Pillar

April 21, 2015, vs. Orioles

Another Pillar classic, but this time with a little extra, as he quickly hops to his feet to double off the runner at second base. It’s hard to blame the runner there. Free the play just as the camera switches to the outfield, and it doesn’t seem likely that Pillar will even have a play on the ball, let alone make one.

Keegan Matheson is a reporter/editor for MLB.com based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter @KeeganMatheson.