Brandon Phillips made a truly special play in the field and delivered at the plate to help the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 at Great American Ballpark on Friday night.
The Reds were up 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning with one out and men on first and second following a pair of walks. Ryan Braun was up giving the Brewers the potential for a rally. Braun chopped the ball up the middle, and with his speed, you figure he would probably beat it out. But that’s not how Phillips saw it.
Phillips charged and fielded the chopper with his bare hand, alertly dropped down on his knee for the force out at second, and threw to first from his knees for the double play. The awesome play showcased most of Phillips’ tools; baseball instinct, range, and arm strength.
As if that play wasn’t impressive enough, Phillips homered as the second man up in the bottom half of the inning to give the Reds a 4-2 lead. He also had an RBI single in the third. Phillips entered Saturday batting .287/.331/.485 on the season.
