Jake Marisnick makes remarkable catch running up Tal’s Hill in Houston

If you’re not paying attention to the Houston Astros, you’re missing quite a show.

On Saturday night, baseball’s hottest team hit five home runs against the Seattle Mariners to extend their winning streak to nine.

We repeat, NINE. There are still five teams in baseball that don’t have nine wins all season, but the Astros have won nine straight and 17 overall.

It’s an amazing story that may or may not have staying power. We’ll sort that out as the season moves along, but if they keep making plays like Jake Marisnick’s running catch on Tal’s Hill on Saturday, the galaxy might just be the limit.

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The play happened in the sixth inning with Houston holding a 9-4 lead. Logan Morrison squared up a Collin McHugh pitch and sent it soaring toward Tal’s Hill in center field.

Tal’s Hill, for those unfamiliar with Minute Maid Park, is literally a hill that occupies about 25 feet leading up the wall in straight away center field. It’s a good 410 feet from home plate, so it doesn’t come in to play that often. When it does, rarely does it involve a center fielder attempting a running, almost impossible catch. However, in this case, that’s exactly what Marisnick did.

Marisnick tracked the ball for about 40 feet leading to the hill. He hit the base of the hill still on the move, and amazingly kept his stride, kept his balance and kept his concentration to make a sprawling catch.

It was both a sensational and fearless effort that Marisnick described as one of the best catches he’s ever made.

We’d hope so, and we know for a fact his pitcher appreciated it.

“Play of the year,” said starter Collin McHugh.

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The catch robbed Morrison of an RBI and kept the Astros in firm control. It also may have put a strain on the friendship between Marisnick and Morrison, which dated back to their days with the Miami Marlins.

“He came to my wedding and I played with him for a year with the Marlins,” Morrison. said. “So he’s now off the Christmas card list.”

We think he’s joking.

What isn’t a joke though is the energy and confidence the Astros have played with through the first four weeks. Again, it may not be sustainable for six months or even six weeks. They’re bound to hit a wall sooner or later that truly tests their resilience, but until that happens it’s a show that’s worth watching every day. 

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813