PITTSBURGH -- With two outs and nobody on in the fifth inning Friday night, Dexter Fowler ripped a fly ball to the deepest part of PNC Park: the North Side Notch, 410 feet to left-center field.

If the ball landed, Fowler was probably going to wind up on third base with an easy triple. Bryan Reynolds had other ideas.

The Pirates’ standout rookie outfielder covered a lot of ground in very little time, diving onto the warning track to rob Fowler with an outstanding catch that ranked high on the list of Pittsburgh’s best defensive plays this season.

Reynolds’ play could even top a more exclusive list, if you ask Pirates manager Clint Hurdle.

“That catch he made today may be as good a catch as I’ve ever seen in this ballpark,” Hurdle said. “It seemed like he found another gear getting there. You’re running toward the notch. It’s on dirt. It’s a Major League play. It’s a big-time Major League play in a big situation.”

Added second baseman Adam Frazier, “I didn’t think he was going to get there, then he closed the gap pretty good there the last 10 steps. Long way to run.”

Reynolds responded about as calmly as he’s handled all of his success as a rookie this year. He stood up with no celebration, tossed the ball into the stands, adjusted his belt and jogged back to the Pirates’ dugout. He wasn’t any more excitable when discussing the play after the Pirates’ 9-4 win over the Cardinals.

“I just got a good jump on it,” Reynolds said. “Hung up there for a while, started coming back to me at the end, and it was right in our little wedge out there so I had a little extra running room. … Scraped my knees up pretty good, but I’ll take that.”

Reynolds started the Pirates’ last two games in center field while Starling Marte was sidelined, but he returned to left field on Friday night. Club officials often say they need two center fielders at PNC Park given the difficulty of playing left field. They seem to have exactly that now, with Reynolds replacing 2018 Gold Glove Award winner Corey Dickerson in left.

“The catch that Reynolds made was incredible,” said starter Alex McRae, who reacted by standing on the mound with both arms raised before clapping into his glove. “You can’t say enough about that guy.”