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Manny Machado Purposefully Lets Ball Drop to Strategically Get Elly De La Cruz Out

This was an interesting move.

Madison Williams

San Diego Padres star Manny Machado purposefully lets a ball drop.
San Diego Padres star Manny Machado purposefully lets a ball drop. / MLB/Screengrab
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Manny Machado tricked some baseball fans on Saturday during the San Diego Padres–Cincinnati Reds game.

It looked like Machado flubbed catching an easy pop-up from Spencer Steer in the fifth inning, causing a loud reaction from fans at the Great American Ball Park. However, it was actually a strategic move for him to throw to second base to get Reds star Elly De La Cruz, who was at first base from a walk prior to Steer, off the basepaths.

Cruz is known for his speed, especially when it comes to stealing bases. The Padres would much rather have Steer on base than Cruz, who has already stolen 22 bases this season.

Check out the interesting play here.

Machado's master plan didn't end up working in his favor, though, as Steer ended up scoring a run for the Reds when his teammate Tyler Stephenson later hit a sacrifice fly when Steer was on third base.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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