The comparisons to Derek Jeter are being made when it comes to Austin Riley.
And maybe that’s not completely right given that the Hall of Fame shortstop was WAY out of position to make one of the greatest cutoffs in MLB postseason history for The Flip, but you can kind of see it when it came to finishing Game 2 of the Atlanta Braves’ NLDS win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Michael Harris saved the game with his spectacular catch of a Nick Castellanos shot to centerfield, but then he threw the ball in to the infield to attempt to double off Bryce Harper, who had rounded second at that point. Riley was somehow in position closer to the middle of the field to grab the errant throw and toss it to first.
But why? MLB Gamecast 3D has the tale:
Braves win — Austin Riley cam
Sees Harris make the catch and where Harper is, starts signaling to throw to 1st and ends up in the perfect spot to back up the throw and make the play pic.twitter.com/3q9ofXowPK
— David Adler (@_dadler) October 10, 2023
He was signaling to throw to first, excitedly. That go him to where he needed to be. Here’s another look, non-3D:
Another view of the final out. This one shows more of the athletic play Austin Riley made. 👀 #ballparkcam pic.twitter.com/sNMswgTeIa
— Knox Bardeen (@knoxbardeen) October 10, 2023
Just amazing all around. Credit to Riley here!
I can’t stop watching this play.
Obviously an incredible catch by Michael Harris II. But what a play by Austin Riley to back up the throw and make a sick throw to first to double off Harper.
What a play. What a game. Instant classic.
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) October 10, 2023
