Pirates outfielder Jake Marisnick put on 'a clinic' with pair of diving catches against Padres

When Derek Shelton watched the ball off Ha-Seong Kim’s bat sail down the left field line, the Pirates manager thought there was no chance Jake Marisnick would get to it in time.

Marisnick was slightly more optimistic. The Pirates left fielder thought his chances of getting to the ball were borderline but sprinted until he “just started floating” and went completely horizontal and came down on his chest with an improbable catch.

“Those are the real special ones when you look in there and are like, ‘Did I catch it?’” Marisnick said. “Catches like that are something I pride myself in and have been working on for a long time.”

That gem was only one of the highlight plays Marisnick made in the 7-6 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night at PNC Park, when he had another dynamic diving catch and scored the game-tying run in the 10th inning to set the stage for Ke’Bryan Hayes’ heroics.

“Jake Marisnick in left field,” Shelton said. “That was a clinic. Wow.”

Marisnick laid out for a Trent Grisham line drive to start the eighth inning, and Shelton pointed out an overlooked play Marisnick made by catching Jurickson Profar’s deep fly to left-center with runners on first and second in the fourth inning and throwing to Hayes at third base.

“Usually, that’s an automatic tag up and you’re throwing the ball to second and it’s first and third,” Shelton said. “He hit Ke’ chest-high. That was another play that goes unnoticed.”

Marisnick’s outfield play hasn’t gone unnoticed, whether by Shelton or Pirates teammates. Marisnick made a pair of game-changing plays in the ninth inning to preserve the 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on April 24. After he chased down a Rafael Ortega hit off the bricks in right field and made a throw to hold him to a double, Marisnick threw a laser beam to hold Ortega at third on Seiya Suzuki’s double to shallow right.

“It’s fun to play next to him because he’s great out there,” Pirates All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds said. “He definitely can swing the game just purely by his defense. You saw that in the Chicago game. If anybody else is in right there, we’re going into extras and they’re scoring that run. His arm’s incredible. He flipped that game for us right there and got us the win.”

Since signing with the Pirates just before Opening Day after Anthony Alford and Greg Allen were injured, the 31-year-old Marisnick has batted only .150 (6 for 40) with 11 strikeouts and one walk but has filled in at all three outfield positions as either a starter or late-inning defensive replacement.

Marisnick earned a reputation for his arm and defense in a 10-year major league career spent with the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, New York Mets, Cubs and Padres and takes great pride in his ability to make plays that can alter the outcome.

“No doubt,” Marisnick said. “I like to talk about how defense is something you can bring every day. It doesn’t go away. You can go out there and it’s something you pride yourself in. It’s a way to change the ball game and help your team win every night.”