Manny Machado drove a ball toward the Petco Park wall in the eighth inning Wednesday, with the Padres one swing from pulling even in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Garrett Mitchell had other plans. Milwaukee’s center fielder tracked Machado’s drive to the short fence and made the catch after briefly leaving his feet, taking away a potential two-run homer.
Key takeaways
- Machado came up in the bottom of the eighth with a chance to tie the NLDS game on one swing.
- Mitchell secured the ball at the wall in center field despite a crowd of San Diego fans pressing close behind him.
- Fans near the play nearly reached into the action, but Mitchell completed the out.
- The moment echoed Adam Jones’ celebrated robbery of Machado in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
A familiar view at the wall
The ball had the look of the kind that can turn October noise into a full-blown roar. Machado was trying to erase a two-run deficit, and Petco Park was ready for the tying shot. Mitchell got back to the wall, timed his jump and came down with the baseball before the crowd could affect the play.
It was not a long leap, but it was a difficult one: Mitchell had to find the ball, judge the fence and hold onto it with fans immediately behind him. His glove stayed closed, and the Brewers walked away with a crucial out against one of San Diego’s most dangerous hitters.
Jones’ old highlight gets company
For Machado, the play carried an obvious reminder from nine years earlier. In the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Jones made a signature catch to deny Machado, a grab Machado later described as “something else.”
This one came in a different uniform and under postseason lights, but the picture was much the same: Machado watching a drive headed toward the wall, a center fielder arriving at the last moment, and a big swing turned into an out.
