San Diego Padres star Manny Machado has always been regarded as one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball, notably earning two Gold Glove awards over the course of his 12-year MLB career. He showed off his defensive prowess with a ridiculous catch against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday that helped save the game for his team.
The Rockies found themselves with a chance to tie up the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, with a runner on third and only one out facing a 3-2 deficit.
Any deep fly ball from the Rockies would likely result in them tying the game. They got exactly that, as Rockies third baseman Mike Moustakas hit a ball into foul play down the left field line.
Machado was the only one close enough to make the play, and he had to try and make a miraculous over-the-shoulder catch to do so. He did exactly that, coming up with the play despite bobbling it a number of times before finally making the play. He then had the presence of mind to get the ball in quickly which didn’t allow the third base runner to try and score on the play.
Manny Machado with a RIDICULOUS CIRCUS CATCH!⚾️🎪😲 pic.twitter.com/QnAEqWgqoa
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) June 10, 2023
Many fans took to social media to praise Machado for the terrific play.
WHAT A CATCH BY MANNY MACHADO 😱 @Padres pic.twitter.com/nqV2M9Uyrg
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) June 10, 2023
Manny Machado may have just made the best catch you’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/INftWpOWxr
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) June 10, 2023
Manny Machado makes the catch in foul ground with the help of his face. pic.twitter.com/2LvdtCHk1L
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) June 10, 2023
Machado juggles the ball and MAKES THE CATCH pic.twitter.com/rqPBkd4Jan
— Pack the Brew (@PacktheBrew) June 10, 2023
Manny Machado covered 108 feet on that catch down the left field line.
His sprint speed was 25.1 MPH, which is tied for the fastest sprint speed he's had this season.
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) June 10, 2023
Holy crap, did Manny Machado actually catch that?
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) June 10, 2023
The play would end up looming large, as the Rockies were later turned away in both the rest of the bottom of the eighth inning and also the bottom of the ninth inning, coming away with a 3-2 victory.
If the terrific defense wasn’t enough, he also had a great day at the plate, recording three hits in the game.
Manny Machado MVP form type of game
3 hits including a double that would have been a homer in every other stadium
Scores from 1st on a single
Two gold glove level plays pic.twitter.com/VRaLAH1kbc— Giannis Auntiegotapoodle (@TooMuchMortons_) June 10, 2023
[The Comeback on Twitter] Photo Credit: AT&T Sportsnet