The Cincinnati Reds found a late spark in Wednesday's NL Wild Card race showdown when Noelvi Marte ignited the home crowd with a rare and thrilling inside-the-park home run at Great American Ball Park. It was a pivotal moment in a game where every run mattered and postseason hopes hang in the for the club.

Down 2-0 to the Pirates in the bottom of the 8th inning, Marte connected on a deep shot off Isaac Mattson that soared toward the left-center field wall. Oneil Cruz leapt, crashed hard into the padding, and fell to the warning track as the ball caromed away. Left fielder Tommy Pham scrambled to recover, but the third baseman had already kicked into full sprint.

What followed was electrifying. In roughly 15 seconds, Marte tore around the bases and slid home safely—marking his 14th home run of the season and the fifth inside-the-park home run in Great American Ball Park history.

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It was the kind of play that defines momentum shifts, with the dugout erupting and the crowd roaring in response. Marte's combination of speed and power reminded fans and scouts alike why he’s become a key piece in the Reds’ playoff push. With a .272 average and 50 RBIs in just 86 games, the 23-year-old continues to deliver in crucial moments during the Wild Card race, helping keep Cincinnati right in the thick of postseason contention as the regular season winds down. His late-season surge is fueling belief inside the clubhouse and across the fanbase.

 

In the following inning, Tyler Stephenson tied the game 2-2 with a 405-foot homer. The 10th saw the Pirates go up 3-2 before Gavin Lux knotted it again with a sacrifice fly.

As the game moves to the bottom of the 11th, Pittsburgh now leads 4-3 after Spencer Horwitz delivered a clutch RBI double off Nick Martinez, scoring Bryan Reynolds from second. The Reds will need late-inning magic once again to keep their Wild Card hopes alive.