Manny Machado tricked some baseball fans on Saturday during the San Diego Padres–Cincinnati Reds game.
It looked like Machado flubbed catching an easy pop-up from Spencer Steer in the fifth inning, causing a loud reaction from fans at the Great American Ball Park. However, it was actually a strategic move for him to throw to second base to get Reds star Elly De La Cruz, who was at first base from a walk prior to Steer, off the basepaths.
Cruz is known for his speed, especially when it comes to stealing bases. The Padres would much rather have Steer on base than Cruz, who has already stolen 22 bases this season.
Check out the interesting play here.
Manny Machado shows off his elite baseball IQ and gets Elly De La Cruz off the bases 😅 pic.twitter.com/qvpCLsHZB5
— MLB (@MLB) June 28, 2025
Machado's master plan didn't end up working in his favor, though, as Steer ended up scoring a run for the Reds when his teammate Tyler Stephenson later hit a sacrifice fly when Steer was on third base.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Manny Machado Purposefully Lets Ball Drop to Strategically Get Elly De La Cruz Out.
