Reds' Stuart Fairchild robs Manny Machado with one of the best catches you'll see

Stuart Fairchild has heard your criticisms over the past few weeks, and he's out to do something about it. The Cincinnati Reds outfielder has been scuffling of late, but a home run during Tuesday night's game against the San Diego Padres reminded the fanbase of how good he can be.

On Wednesday afternoon, instead of his bat, Fairchild used his glove. The Reds outfielder robbed Manny Machado of a would-be three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Reds starter Graham Ashcraft certainly appreciated the help from his teammate, and the crowd at Petco Park stood in stunned silence.

Reds' outfielder Stuart Fairchild robs Padres' Manny Machado

The Reds were able to grab an early lead thanks to a first-inning bomb off the bat of Spencer Steer. After the first two Reds batters went down rather quickly, Steer battled Padres' starter Joe Musgrove and during the sixth pitch of the at-bat, launched a 390-foot blast over the wall in left-center field to give Cincinnati the 1-0 advantage.

But as great as it was to see Steer smack his fourth homer of the 2024 season, it certainly didn't top Fairchild's catch in the bottom of the inning. With Aschcraft in a bit of trouble, following a single and a walk, the Padres had runners on first and second with one out.

Machado stepped into the batters' box and got ahold of the 0-1 slider from Ashcraft. The ball had plenty of carry, but Fairchild was able to keep an eye on as it drifted into center field. The former second-round pick continued to track the ball, leapt into the air with his back toward the wall, and secured the ball in the mitt.

Fairchild alertly got the ball back into the infield, and Ashcraft was able to strikeout Graham Pauley in the next at-bat and silence the Padres' threat. The calendar just flipped to May, but you'll be hard-pressed to see a better catch all season long.

More Red News from Blog Red Machine