The Reds live to see another day in the National League wild-card race. Cincinnati escaped with a win over the rival Pirates on Thursday, thanks to some late defensive heroics from Noelvi Marte, who reached over the wall to rob a Pittsburgh home run in the ninth inning.
Marte, who was the Reds' top prospect and played in the infield throughout his time in the minor leagues, recently moved to the outfield in order to stay in the everyday lineup. He's played a total of 50 games in the outfield in his career, all of which came this season. But with the season potentially on the line, the 23-year-old made an incredibly difficult and important catch in order to help secure the win.
NOELVI MARTE TO THE RESCUE pic.twitter.com/uZCz7dEV0c
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 25, 2025
Marte's defensive highlight came with one out in the ninth inning. A home run from Brian Reynolds would've tied the game, and potentially forced extra innings for the second consecutive night. Fortunately, Marte was there to make a sensational play.
Following Thursday's win, Cincinnati now sits just one-half game behind the Mets in the wild-card race. New York is set to play the Cubs in the evening, with first pitch slated for 7:40 p.m. ET. A Mets loss would see the Reds take control of the final wild-card spot with just three games left to play.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Reds Outfielder Saves Season With Heroic Home Run Robbery in Ninth Inning vs. Pirates.
