Asdrubal Cabrera's stunning bare-handed play against the Pirates

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Asdrubal Cabrera continues to out-do himself, piling up numerous once-in-a-lifetime defensive plays in one lifetime.

The Indians shortstop's latest five-star gem came in the 10th inning Sunday afternoon against the Pirates. The Indians won, 5-2, in 11.

With one out, Brandon Wood hit a one-hopper into the hole. It was guaranteed to be a single -- until Cabrera made a bare-handed grab going away from the infield, turned and fired on target to first baseman Carlos Santana.

The crowd roared. Wood seemed stunned as he walked to his dugout.

"First time I've seen something like that," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "Oh, my gosh. Half our dugout was yelling, 'Best play ever!' Some guys were like, 'Slow down, we've seen some other ones,' Ozzie Smith and all that. But it was unbelievable. He was thinking barehand all the way."

Second baseman Cord Phelps, who later hit the game-winning homer, got a good look.

"That was nasty," Phelps said. "I saw him make the play and I became a fan. It was a heckuva play."

Cabrera saved potential trouble for reliever Joe Smith. The next batter, Ronny Cedeno, singled. Jose Tabata grounded to Phelps for the third out.

"It seems like Smitty's on the mound whenever Cabby makes these great plays," Tribe closer Chris Perez said with a chuckle. "I'm not sure why that is. We're going to have to look into it."

Earlier this season in Chicago, Cabrera grabbed a ball hit by Omar Vizquel that caromed off Smith and used a behind-the-back flip to trigger a double play.

"The more difficult the play, the easier Cabby makes it look," Perez said.

Keep it quiet: Reliever Vinnie Pestano would prefer not to have a name -- or number, for that matter -- on the back of his uniform.

"I don't need any recognition," he said. "I'd rather people not know who I am. As long as the team is winning, and I'm doing my job, that's all that matters."

Therein lies the rub. Pestano has been doing his job so well, for a winning club, that anonymity is virtually impossible. If the opposition doesn't know him by now, shame on them. Pestano's draft position (611th overall in 2006) and limited experience (33 games) should not matter anymore.

Pestano is 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 28 appearances. He has allowed 13 hits, walked 10 and struck out 34 in 26 innings. He worked a scoreless eighth Sunday.

Pestano's dominance lately has come in high-leverage situations. He and lefty Tony Sipp are the primary setup men for Perez.

Pestano acts as if he has been in the majors for years. In reality, he debuted with the Tribe last September, giving up two runs in five appearances.

"I don't think I'm doing too much differently than I was last season in Triple-A," he said. "There are more variables up here, of course -- crowds are bigger, strike zones are different, guys are better at punishing your mistakes. But it still comes down to making your pitches. And I've had experience late in games in college and the minors, so that's helped a lot."

A 6-foot right-hander, Pestano has held right-handed batters to a .127 average (7-for-55). Lefties were not enjoying life, either, hitting .182 (6-for-33). Both sides appear to be having trouble picking up pitches, especially the fastball, from his slightly unconventional release.

Pestano sprints in from the bullpen when Acta signals for him. He first did so while at Cal State Fullerton from 2004-06.

"My very first opportunity, they called me and I took off," he said. "When I broke in as a pro, with Mahoning Valley in 2007, I just jogged in. But it didn't feel right. So after about 10 appearances, I went back to sprinting. It's something to do to get my body ready, my mind right."

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