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Reds' Terry Francona awed by Noelvi Marte's homer-robbing catch

CINCINNATI -- Noelvi Marte might have saved the Cincinnati Reds' playoff hopes when he robbed Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds of a home run with a spectacular catch over the wall in the ninth inning of a 2-1 win Thursday.

The Reds entered the game against the Pirates one back from the New York Mets for the final National League wild-card spot. The win brought them within a half-game.

"Under the circumstances, that's one of the best plays I've ever seen," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "You take the time of the game, the time of the season, how high he got up."

The 6-foot-2 Marte jumped at the 8-foot wall and reached back above the first row of seats to catch Reynolds' 348-foot drive for the second out of the ninth. Marte also had the other two outs in the ninth as Emilio Pagan picked up his career-high 30th save in 36 chances.