Diamondbacks Fan Snags Robbed Home Run From Cincinnati Reds' Spencer Steer
In this story:
The Arizona Diamondbacks were already well on their way to a must-need win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night when Tommy Pham stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning.
Arizona was up 8-4, and Pham appeared to put his team up by seven with a three-run shot to left. Cincinnati outfielder Spencer Steer tried to go up and grab the deep fly ball as it cleared the fence, only for a young Diamondbacks fan to snatch the robbed home run out of his glove at the last second.
After Pham hesitantly rounded the bases to make it an 11-4 contest, the umpires reviewed the play and ultimately overturned the call.
Pham was called out on fan interference, and the spectator was relocated to another section of Chase Field.
The three runs that came off the board didn't seem to make too much of a difference in the moment, despite the call helping the Reds get out of the seventh inning without allowing any more damage. The Diamondbacks even tacked on two more runs in the eighth to go up 10-4.
Steer led off the top of the ninth with a single, though, and Cincinnati eventually loaded the bases for outfielder Will Benson. The young lefty converted with a grand slam to cut the deficit to two, which would have been five if Pham's shot had cleared the wall cleanly.
With the game hanging in the balance, right-hander Kevin Ginkel came in to clean things up, striking out both Reds he faced to record the save and close out the 10-8 win for Arizona.
The Diamondbacks now have sole possession of the second NL Wild Card spot, while the Reds are 1.0 game back of the Chicago Cubs in the third and final slot, tied with the San Francisco Giants.
Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media
Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.
You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Check out more Arizona Diamondbacks coverage at Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Inside the Diamondbacks.
