Cincinnati was holding on for dear life when they battled the Milwaukee Brewers in an unexpected tight showdown. So when the ball was on their pitching side and was later thrown, fans were definitely in for a massive ride as it looked like it would be a home run for the visitors, only to be saved by TJ Freidl as the ball nearly went over the wall.

Emilio Pagán drilled a promising score of his own to make it a 4-2 lead, but it cannot be denied that it was Friedl’s massive save that sealed the deal with a leaping catch that no one expected him to pull off. The lights went wild in the stadium as fans celebrated a thrilling victory to give the Reds their first win in this three-game series.

All games have been tight contests, even today’s showdown. However, nothing tops off that massive play from Friedl as it definitely goes down as one of the biggest highlights for Tuesday Baseball. That win also puts them close to the eighth seed of the National League, just a few more wins behind the Brewers and the San Francisco Giants.

Clutch Saves Happen

As much as this is celebrated as if the Reds won the World Series, clutch saves happen in the game, and that is not new. What’s unique, however, is the frequency of these kinds of saves. For Friedl’s big play, it was not just a simple save – but rather a risky one to begin with.

For starters, Friedl chased down the ball as soon as it went up high. He did not look at the path he was going down on – thus the risk of a potential slip up or even a misstep, but luckily, he ended up jumping on the wall (that has a protective foam specifically designed for players to jump on), and eventually caught the ball in what has been a defining clutch moment.

"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.”

That massive save also ended the Brewers’ eight-game winning streak. The Reds evened up the rivalry showdown in the second game, and now they can ignore whatever result the third game had to offer.

On the Other Side of the Bat

While fans are celebrating Friedl’s game-winning play, this comes as a frustrating finish for Jake Bauer, who was at the batting end of the attempted home run. Had Friedl not made a fantastic save, it would have been a walkoff victory for the Brewers. Instead, the club goes 1-1 before today’s affair to wrap up the series.

“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.”

The Reds will now continue their homestand as the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks come onto their turf. The Brewers, on the other hand, will host the San Diego Padres in their three-game clash starting this Friday.