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.
Many fans took to social media to praise Machado for the terrific play.
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
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.
[The Comeback on Twitter] Photo Credit: AT&T Sportsnet
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.