WATCH: Stuart Fairchild's home run robbery of Manny Machado draws shades of Adam Jones' epic 2017 WBC catch
Manny Machado has been one of the best players of his generation. However, the San Diego Padres superstar is not without some bad luck at times. This hard-hitting third baseman was a victim of bad luck yet again on Wednesday as it looked as if the 31-year-old secured his fifth home run of the year. This did not turn out to be the case.
During the San Diego Padres matchup against the Cincinnati Reds, it looked as if Manny Machado had driven a ball over the center field fence. Unfortunately for Machado, Reds outfielder Stuart Fairchild has been making a name for himself with his elite defensive skills. This is something he put on full display, robbing Machado of the home run in deep center field.
"Stop hitting it there, Manny" - @MLB
While the catch from Stuart Fairchild has a legitimate case for the best home run robbery of the year so far, it is not something Machado hasn't experienced before. The 6-time All-Star was the victim of one of the best and most important catches in international baseball history.
The catch in question came during the 2017 World Baseball Classic during a key quarter-final matchup between the United States of America and the Dominican Republic. Former Baltimore Orioles star center fielder Adam Jones robbed Machado of a seventh-inning home run, which would have brought the Dominican Republic within one run.
"Never Forget when Adam Jones robbed Manny Machado in the World Baseball Classic" - @BaseballCentraI
Fans and analysts couldn't help but notice the striking similarity between the home run robbery of Adam Jones and the one that occurred against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres will hope his next home run counts as the team has struggled this season
Stuart Fairchild's robbery of Manny Machado feels a tad like a metaphor of the San Diego Padres season so far. Although the Friars find themselves third in the National League West, they currently sit below .500 with a 15-18 record.
Both Machado and the Padres will hope that his next home run will clear the fences as they look to close the gap between themselves and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That being said, the San Diego offense has been decent to this point as they entered Wednesday's action 11th in the MLB in home runs (33), fifth in RBIs (149), and seventh in team batting average (.251).