Noelvi Marte's game-saving catch in the Cincinnati Reds' 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates garnered attention from National Baseball Hall of Famer and Fanduel Sports Network analyst Barry Larkin on Thursday evening.
The play took place in the top of the ninth inning. Pittsburgh needed a run to tie the game at two apiece to force extra innings or take the lead. They had a home run opportunity, but Marte pulled off some heroics to catch the ball and record the out. Larkin expressed amazement towards the play during the broadcast, per Cincinnati.com.
“That is an outstanding play, getting to the wall and scaling it, extending!” Larkin said. “Outstanding! That's a great play. … Maybe the biggest move of the season was taking Noelvi Marte and putting him in right field. We've seen him offensively really wake up. But that inning right there recording all of the putouts, culminated by that home-run saving catch. Outstanding! What a way to finish the homestand.”
“Really working on instinct. I'm sure he's gone out there and he's worked on scaling that wall. But he gets back to what he does great on that particular play as he gets back to the wall and then he's able to go vertical. And I mean he got up well over that wall and pulled it back. That ball's definitely out of the ballpark. But what a great play. And what a great time to make that great play.”
Watch this
Then watch it again
Then keep watching it#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/t12QZJqFeo— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 25, 2025
How Noelvi Marte, Reds played against Pirates
It was a huge play for Noelvi Marte to make, giving the Reds a bigger chance at reaching the playoffs with the win over the Pirates.
Cincinnati scored both of its runs in the fifth inning. Marte opened the scoring with an RBI single to center field, while Gavin Lux provided an RBI single to right field.
The Reds' bullpen had an excellent performance on the mound. They held the Pirates' offense to just three hits after 30 at-bats. Nick Lodolo earned the win as he lasted 6.1 innings, striking out 12 batters while conceding two hits. Meanwhile, Emilio Pagan obtained the save for his 30th of the season.
Cincinnati improved to an 81-78 record on the season, holding the third spot in the NL Central Division standings. They are 8.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs and 15 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, teams who already secured playoff berths.
Remaining in the playoff mix, the Reds will prepare for their final series of the regular season. They will be on the road against the Brewers as Game 1 will take place on Sept. 26 at 8:10 p.m. ET.
