'How about that?' Friedl robs game-tying HR to seal Reds' win

CINCINNATI -- Reds closer Emilio Pagán saved Tuesday's game against the Brewers. But it was center fielder TJ Friedl who saved the game with a thrilling leaping catch above the wall to rob Jake Bauers of a game-tying home run as Cincinnati claimed a nail-biting 4-2 win at Great American Ball Park.

What a way to end a division rival's eight-game winning streak.

"How about that?" Friedl said. “I knew it was hit well off the bat. I was kind of just tracking it. Probably when I was coming close to the warning track, I was like, ‘I could have a chance at this. It’s possible.’ Anything is possible.”

Pagán was pitching with two outs in the ninth inning and got what should have been a game-ending routine grounder to shortstop from Caleb Durbin. Elly De La Cruz took his time to make a throw and then aired it over first baseman Spencer Steer for a two-base error.

Milwaukee's pinch-hitter, Bauers, slugged a 2-1 fastball for a 106.2 mph drive to deep center field. Friedl, who had a bead on it the entire way, made a perfectly timed leap to grab the ball as it appeared to be heading over the wall.

Just like that, baseball’s longest active winning streak was history.

“It’s a rollercoaster,” Bauers said. “I got the pitch I was looking for, put a good swing on it and you thought you might have got enough. And then the game’s over, you lose.

“That’s why they don’t make a level higher than this, because guys can go and make those plays in a big spot like that.”

For Friedl, it felt like a walk-off win.

“I think it tops my other walk-offs for sure," he said. "To end a game like that, you dream of that as a kid. As an outfielder growing up in your backyard, robbing home runs and stuff. You always dream of walk-offs, but ending it like that was special.”

For Reds manager Terry Francona, it was a whirlwind of emotions with the De La Cruz error, and a near homer followed by a thrilling catch that stopped a three-game losing streak for Cincinnati.

“I think I threw up in my mouth," Francona said. "I’m not even sure how to describe it. You always wait until the end. [Pagán] looked like he was throwing the ball good. He’s in command, throwing strikes, working ahead. Then all of a sudden that ball leaves the bat. And we couldn’t tell if Friedl caught it. We were just going on his body language. That was certainly a nice feeling. You may have seen a grown man cry.”

Bauers and the Brewers, meanwhile, were on the other end of the emotional spectrum. They’d trailed since the seventh inning, when Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta was tasked with getting the first two hitters out but retired neither, setting up Connor Joe’s go-ahead sacrifice fly.

But the Brewers appeared to have life in the ninth. De La Cruz’s errant throw extended the game for Bauers, who occasionally starts in left field or at first base, but made the team coming out of Spring Training for just this situation as a left-handed power hitter against a right-handed power pitcher.

Off the bat, Brewers manager Pat Murphy wasn’t sure whether Bauers had hit it high enough. Neither was Bauers.

“I got it a touch off the end and I knew it was going to be close,” Bauers said. “Once I saw it coming down as I was rounding first base and he was tracking it, I knew that was probably a wrap. I’ve seen him make that play enough times to know that was probably caught.”

Pagán was also taken by surprise.

“I didn’t realize Bauers hit it so well, but he put a good swing on it. I turn around and TJ is on a dead sprint," said Pagán, who raised his arms in the air to celebrate the catch for his 15th save of the season.

Great leaping catches are often about improvisation, but there's also work behind the scenes to prepare for them. A drill for that very situation was worked on by Reds outfielders with coach Collin Cowgill on Monday afternoon.

In 2023 against Francona's then-Guardians club, Friedl robbed a homer in a big play. On that very day, Cincinnati's outfielders were working on fence-leapers.

“Maybe we should work on it more often," Friedl joked.

"It’s cool man, the way this game works," Pagán said. "You prepare and do the right thing, those opportunities kind of present themselves. He’s one of the best in the game and he made a great catch.”

The only thing Friedl didn't do right on Tuesday was immediately present the ball. He was celebrating and pounding his chest in excitement.

“I almost forgot to show the ball that I had it," he said. "The second-base umpire was staring at me, waiting for me to show the ball. I was like, ‘Oh, I had it.’ A lot of stuff was going on.”