McAllister makes kick save to catch liner

CLEVELAND — Zach McAllister made a kick save, and it was a beauty.

In the sixth inning of the Indians’ 5-4 win over the Twins on Tuesday, McAllister turned in an incredible play that had the Progressive Field crowd reacting in a mix of cheers and laughter. The Indians’ reliever kicked a line drive back to the mound and then made an improbable catch for a one-of-a-kind out.

“I don’t know if that caught him or he caught it,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I guarantee you, if you ask him, he’ll say he’ll take it.”

With one out and Cleveland clinging to a one-run lead, McAllister unleashed a 95-mph fastball to Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki, who ripped a liner back up the middle at 101 mph, according to Statcast™. As McAllister finished his delivery, the ball struck his left calf and popped up into the air.

McAllister quickly looked for the ball, spotted it and spun around in time to stick his glove out for the catch. The big right-hander flipped the ball to first baseman Mike Napoli just to be safe, but there was no doubt about the spectacular grab, even if you had to see it to believe it. McAllister could not help but smile before returning to the mound for Cleveland.

#HackyZach(they tweet sheepishly and apologetically to @ZMac34) pic.twitter.com/ykLBp5CNN9

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 31, 2016

#HackyZach(they tweet sheepishly and apologetically to @ZMac34) …

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