At just 21-years of age Manny Machado has showcased his defensive abilities at third base for the Baltimore Orioles highlighted by a play he made today against the New York Yankees that brought back memories of another Orioles great Brooks Robinson.
With T.J. McFarland on the mound Yankees third basemen Luis Cruz pulled a pitch down the left field line that Machado got a glove on knocked it into foul territory before being able to make an off-balance throw to first to get the out, which makes it easily one of the best plays so far during the 2013 season.
During the 1970 World Series Robinson made this play against the Cincinnati Reds:
Here’s a look at the reaction to Machado’s play on Twitter
Manny Machado isn’t Brooks Robinson, but he sure does make plays like him. http://t.co/SH54UbcIPz from @SN_Baseball
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 7, 2013
Somewhere, Brooks Robinson is saying: I can’t believe Manny Machado got to that ball.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 7, 2013
Manny Machado got his 10th @BBTN Web Gem of the season today, the most in the major leagues
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 7, 2013
With plays like that it’s easy to see why Machado is the best defensive third basemen in Major League Baseball and will for years to come.