Garrett Mitchell turned what looked like a Padres rally into one of the defining plays of the postseason.
In the eighth inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series, Manny Machado sent a fly ball to right-center field that appeared to have enough to pull San Diego even with Milwaukee. The Padres trailed 3-1, and Machado’s shot was inches from becoming a two-run homer.
Instead, Mitchell reached over the wall in center field and came down with the ball, pulling it back from a crowd of fans and keeping it in his glove. The Brewers’ center fielder made the kind of catch that stops a stadium cold.
Machado knew it immediately. So did Mitchell.
Machado’s reaction was pure frustration, and Petco Park answered with the same energy. The crowd had seen San Diego’s best shot at getting back into the game disappear in an instant, and the score stayed 3-1 in Milwaukee’s favor.
It wasn’t the first time Machado had been burned by a Petco Park grab like that. In the 2017 World Baseball Classic, he hit a fly ball to the same area while playing for the Dominican Republic against the United States, only to watch Adam Jones climb above the wall and deny him a home run. That catch became one of the signature moments of Team USA’s run to its first WBC title.
The Brewers finished the job one inning later. In the ninth, Trevor Megill struck out Gavin Sheets to end the game and send Milwaukee through.
The series winner will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday. But Mitchell’s robbery is the play that will linger.
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