Anthony Rendon is such a good hitter that it’s easy to forget what he can do on the defensive side of the ball. The Nationals third baseman provided a reminder Sunday with a terrific diving stop against the Marlins, and he was recognized with the MLB Play of the Week Award presented by W.B. Mason on Tuesday.
In the eighth inning of Washington’s 9-6 win over the Marlins, Rendon laid out to snag a hard-hit grounder off the bat of Brian Anderson behind the third-base bag. The 28-year-old quickly popped up and, with one foot in foul territory, fired a strong throw across the diamond to easily nab Anderson at first.
The Nats were leading 9-0 at the time, but if not for Rendon’s dazzling play, the Marlins would have had two runners on base with nobody out in the eighth. Miami made things interesting anyway, scoring six runs in the final two innings.
Rendon joins the Astros’ Carlos Correa and the Padres’ Manny Machado as the only infielders to win the Play of the Week Award, which is new for the 2019 season. Six outfielders have won it, including the Brewers’ Lorenzo Cain twice, the A’s Ramon Laureano, the Giants’ Kevin Pillar, the Red Sox’s Jackie Bradley Jr. and the Reds’ Yasiel Puig.