Addison Russell ran 106 feet to make a big, run-saving catch like no shortstop has before
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Split-second reactions are the name of the game in baseball. In pressure-packed moments, instincts take over. Fortunately for the Cubs, shortstop Addison Russell has some amazing instincts, and he put them on full display in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Pirates.
Let's appreciate the perfect route Russell ran from around the second-base bag all the way toward the third-base foul line to prevent Gregory Polanco from plating a run or two with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh:
If he doesn't make the grab, two runs probably score. Instead, no runs scored. Addison subtracted a huge run-scoring opportunity with that effort. Most remarkably, perhaps, is how fast and far he had to run considering the ball was barely in the air:
Needless to say, folks were impressed. Here's what Kris Bryant had to say to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat after the game:
As for Russell's take on the play:
106 feet works out to just over 35 yards, meaning Russell ran almost half the distance of a football field to make that grab -- and he did it in roughly five seconds. We'll forgive you if your mouth is agape right now, because ... wow.