MILWAUKEE -- When Orlando Arcia left his feet, it was a clue to Brewers manager Craig Counsell that something special was about to happen.
Arcia made a sliding stop of a Hunter Renfroe grounder deep in the hole at shortstop, then popped up and made the throw to first base for the final out of the top of the 10th inning on Friday. The play positioned the Brewers to beat the Padres, 6-5, on Eric Thames' walk-off home run.
Was that the dream play for a shortstop?
"I think so," Arcia said. "That's a hard play to make, deep in the hole."
Counsell, who played more than 3,500 Major League innings at shortstop, said the strong throw made the play. But something else struck him.
"If you notice, Orlando doesn't leave his feet that often to make plays," Counsell said. "That was a nice one. He got up fast and made a strong throw."
Brewers reliever Jared Hughes, who earned the win after his inning of scoreless relief, called it "a momentum-turner."
"As soon as he hit it I thought, 'single,'" said Hughes. "Then Arcia came out of nowhere, dove for it, made the throw on the money. Good pick by Thames [at first base]. It was outstanding. There's not many people that can make that play. I would love to see the Statcast™ numbers on it."
According to Statcast™, Arcia covered 25 feet before gloving the baseball, sprung to his feet and made the exchange in 1.4 seconds. His 82 mph throw traveled 126.2 feet to first.
"That play changed the game," Hughes said.