Rookie sensation Jackson Merrill shined again for the San Diego Padres on Monday. This time, he did it with his glove.
With two outs and a man on base in the top of the ninth inning and the Padres leading the Pirates 2-1, Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds lined a line drive to right-center field off Padres closer Robert Suarez. The ball appeared destined to drop into extra bases to score Ji Hwan Bae from first base.
Merrill had other ideas. The Padres center fielder ran toward the ball and dove for it, securing the third out of the inning and a 2-1 Padres victory.
The Padres improved to 67-53. They remain four games ahead of the final wild-card spot. in the National League. The win was the 17th in 21 games since the All-Star break, and Merrill played a major role in securing many of them.
On Saturday, Merrill hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins to tie the game at 7-7.
The Padres earned a 9-8 victory in extra innings.
By MLB Researcher Sarah LangsIt was the fifth time this season that Merrill hit a game-tying or go-ahead homer in the eighth inning or later. He beat four of them in a span of 11 days He capped it off with his homer Saturday against Miami. He hit three of them in four games from Wednesday through Saturday, all of them Padres victories.
On Monday, he saved his heroic saves from the game for the field.
In 116 games this season, Merrill is hitting .289/.321/.479 with 17 homers, 64 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Pirates ace Paul Skenes is the heavy favorite in the NL Rookie of the Year race thanks to a historic season on the mound for Pittsburgh.
The Padres will have to settle for one of the most exciting young players in baseball, who continues to deliver in clutch moments amid a heated playoff race.