Reds star Stuart Fairchild robs Manny Machado of home run. Photo Credit: Bally Sports Cincinnati
By Reice Shipley on

Wednesday’s matchup between the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds featured an early contender for catch of the year that you simply have to see to believe.

Padres star Manny Machado came up to the plate in the bottom of the first inning in a prime position to drive in a run for his team, with runners on first and second base with only one out.

It looked like he was going to do just that in a huge way with what was almost a three-run home run to give the Padres an early lead.

But Reds center fielder Stuart Fairchild had other ideas, chasing down the line drive shot near the right-center field wall and putting his body on the line to make a miraculous catch to save a run.

The Padres baserunners clearly thought that the ball was heading out of the park. Because they were already close to third and second base respectively assuming they could score on the play.

This meant that the catch from Fairchild also prevented them from advancing a base, which made matters even better for the Reds here.

Naturally, fans had plenty to say about the unbelievable effort from Fairchild here, taking to social media to give him his flowers for the catch.

Fairchild has had a slow start to the season at the plate, hitting below .200 on the year thus far. But when you can make plays like that in the field, you’re going to stay in the lineup.

Unfortunately for Reds fans, this would be the highlight of the day for them, as they would go on to drop this game 6-2. But at least they can brag about perhaps the best defensive play of the season thus far coming from their center fielder.

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About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley