The peak of Evan Longoria’s career may be a distant memory, but that doesn’t at all mean the four-time All-Star is a liability on the diamond.
In fact, the veteran third baseman showed exactly the opposite Tuesday night.
In the bottom of the fifth inning of Game 1 of the National League wild-card series against the Brewers, Longoria and the Diamondbacks found themselves in a bases-loaded jam with just one out. Milwaukee right fielder Tyron Taylor stepped into the batter’s box prepared to make a difference with his club trailing 4–3, but the at-bat quickly turned into a highlight for Arizona instead.
Taylor laced a ball to the left side of the infield that seemed destined to get past the Diamondbacks defense, but Longoria leapt up and made a lunging catch. Then, from his knees, he fired the ball over to second base to double up Willy Adames and get Arizona out of the inning.
EVAN LONGORIA FLASHING THE LEATHER 🔥
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/Fw8B9jCPXn
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 4, 2023
The snag was so impressive, and the play came and went so quickly, that the initial broadcast angle couldn’t even capture Longoria’s brilliance. A short while later, fans finally got a full glimpse at what the D-Backs infielder had done.
Evan Longoria, are you kidding? 🤯
(MLB x @CapitalOne) pic.twitter.com/KpM5U0JVcq
— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2023
Longoria, a four-time All-Star with the Rays from 2008 to ‘11, played in 74 games for the Diamondbacks this year and slashed .223/.295/.422 with 11 home runs and 28 RBI. However, nothing in the regular season proved to be as impactful as Tuesday night’s web gem, which kept Arizona in the lead in the opener of the three-game set against Milwaukee.