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Brewers rookie foreshadowed game-saving home run robbery
On a night when a leaky Miller Park roof was complicating matters for outfielders, Brewers rookie center fielder Keon Broxton had no issues making the play of the night in MLB.
With the Brewers nursing a one-run lead in the ninth inning, Broxton used every bit of his athleticism and six-foot, three-inch frame to take away what would have been a game-tying solo home run for Anthony Rizzo.
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The incredible play essentially saved the game for the Brewers as they held on for a 2-1 victory. It also drew a thunderous response from the surprisingly sparse gathering of 23,832 fans.
Many of those fans were undeniably rooting for the Cubs. It’s possible they reacted thinking the ball had actually cleared the wall. One certainly couldn’t blame them. The ball appeared to have way too much air under it to conceivably get pulled back.
Others cheered in excitement, amazement and perhaps even respect given the effort and the situation.
As Brewers manager Craig Counsell put it, it was one of those plays everybody dreams about making.
Counsell: "I think that’s every OF’s dream, in the 9th inning to be able to make a play like that. You could tell by the way Keon reacted."
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 8, 2016
In fact, Broxton was apparently already envisioning such a moment earlier in the day.
Can't make this stuff up: Broxton & Thornburg chatted in OF during BP today about robbing HRs. Then Broxton did it, w/ Thornburg on the hill
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 8, 2016
That’s a pretty wild revelation. Typically when we think of players calling their shot it’s about predicting a home run. In Broxton’s case, he apparently has ESP with the glove.
As for Rizzo, he was dreaming about being a hero on what was supposed to be his day off. He reportedly talked manager Joe Maddon into putting him in the lineup and ended up delivering a game-tying solo homer in the sixth. Had this one cleared Broxton’s glove, it would have been Rizzo two and Jonathan Villar two, as the Milwaukee switch-hitter hit a solo homer from each side of the plate.
Instead, Rizzo was left frustrated for the second time this season.
Anthony Rizzo: 5th player to be robbed of 2 HR this season. Others: José Abreu, Albert Pujols, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 8, 2016
On the plus side for Chicago, the Cardinals lost in Pittsburgh. That means their magic number to clinch the NL Central is down to nine.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
