Garcia's highlight catch saves Chicago White Sox
When he saves a game, David Robertson likes to save the ball.
On Saturday, the Chicago White Sox' closer made an exception.
After jumping and robbing Chris Davis of a game-tying home run with one in the ninth inning, right fielder Avisail Garcia got the ball.
"He saved the game," Robertson said after the Sox edged the Orioles 3-2 at U.S. Cellular Field. "Anytime (Davis) makes contact, you're worried it's leaving the field. I was just overjoyed to see him catch that ball and come back it with it. It was awesome."
Awesome is an accurate adjective. So is spectacular. Magnificent and stunning also work.
"It's a great catch," manager Robin Ventura said after the White Sox won their fourth straight. "It really is."
Leading Baltimore 2-0 in the eighth inning behind an overpowering effort from Jeff Samardzija, the Sox suddenly found themselves in a tie game after the starting pitcher walked Ryan Flaherty with two outs and reliever Zach Putnam came on and served up a 2-run homer to Manny Machado.
But the White Sox answered right back in the bottom of the eighth when pinch hitter J.B. Shuck came through with an RBI double to make it 3-2.
On came Robertson, and almost out of the park went Davis.
The Orioles' best power hitter connected on Robertson's 1-0 fastball and appeared to knot the game back up, but Garcia drifted back to the fence and made a leaping grab.
"It was an amazing catch to save a run," Garcia said. "We were in the ninth inning and I was just trying to do my best and help my team. When I saw that I had it I felt excited because we have to win games and you have to do your best on the field."
It might have been the best catch at the Cell since 2009, when DeWayne Wise scaled the center field fence in the ninth inning to preserve Mark Buehrle's perfect game.
"The timing of it made it so much more unbelievable," Samardzija said. "It's a top-3 catch I've seen out here."
Garcia is an emotional player, and he was beaming after making the catch and still beaming as he hugged his teammates when Robertson struck out Matt Wieters to end the game and earn his 18th save.
"Plays like that always do it," Ventura said. "But when it's going to tie up a game it's always a bigger deal. Avi had some (offensive) opportunities today and it didn't happen. But he kept his head in there and played the defense when he needed to."
Samardzija pitched 7⅔ innings and allowed 1 run on 3 hits. He also had 9 strikeouts and was working on a no-hitter until Flaherty singled cleanly up the middle with two outs in the sixth.
"I feel like we're getting there," Samardzija said. "My mechanics have come around and I feel comfortable with what I'm doing out there, which means we can execute the pitches instead of having to worry about what you're doing above the rubber."