First call: Pirates catcher makes highlight-reel grab; Marc-Andre Fleury gets 30th win

Tim Benz
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 1:30 a.m. | Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 1:30 a.m.

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Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Steven Baron falls into the Minnesota Twins dugout as he catches a pop foul off the bat of Mitch Garver in the first inning of their spring training baseball game in Fort Myers, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019.

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The Golden Knights Marc-Andre Fleury celebrate on the ice after the team’s 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars at T-Mobile Arena on Feb. 26, 2019.

For “First Call” on Wednesday, a Pirates catcher gets attention in spring training. A Bengal may be on the move. A magic mark for Marc-Andre Fleury.

Baron von Catch

Can your team’s catch of the year happen in spring training? Is that allowed?

Take a look at this snag by Pirates catcher Steven Baron as he tumbled into the Twins dugout.

“I told him after that’s the greatest catch I’ve ever seen in my life. I think he kicked over three buckets on the way to do it. It’s the greatest catch I’ve ever seen.”
-Mitch Keller on this catch by Steven Baron. pic.twitter.com/sAdB05bFQz

— Pirates (@Pirates) February 27, 2019

I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was “the greatest catch I’ve ever seen,” as Mitch Keller did. But it was pretty good.

The Pirates lost to Minnesota, 6-5. Baron went 0 for 2. Keller gave up two earned runs and three hits in his only inning on the mound.

Fantastic Fleury

Marc-Andre Fleury registered win No. 30 on Tuesday for the Vegas Golden Knights. They beat Dallas, 4-1.

count the high-fives in this video ? pic.twitter.com/eJQm9JjGI2

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 27, 2019

Fleury now has nine 30-win seasons. That ties Ed Belfour for fourth most in NHL history.

That's an elite list, Flower. ?#NHLStats x @SAPSports pic.twitter.com/E66EfYGCgT

— NHL (@NHL) February 27, 2019

Fleury had 24 saves.

Eye-popper

It’s been a rough ride for the Islanders of late. They have fallen into a tie with the Capitals for the Metropolitan Division lead. Washington beat Ottawa, 7-2, on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, New York has lost three of four, including a 3-1 home loss to the Flames on Tuesday. Matthew Tkachuk scored this highlight-reel goal along the way.

LOOP THIS! ?? pic.twitter.com/uvDT63qkZ9

— NHL (@NHL) February 27, 2019

Calgary improves to 87 points. That’s tops in the Western Conference.

Imagine if it meant something

The Arizona-Florida game didn’t have a lot of impact on the standings. But it was chock-full of highlight plays.

Derek Stepan scored twice, including this one from an unlikely angle.

Take your shot, @DerekStepan21. pic.twitter.com/68gdt3yD28

— NHL (@NHL) February 27, 2019

Coyote defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson made one of the best non-goalie saves you’ll ever see to rob Pittsburgh product Vince Trocheck. Then goaltender Darcy Kuemper followed up with a beauty of his own.

Extra style points for the flair, @OEL23. pic.twitter.com/khCpthFIIm

— NHL (@NHL) February 27, 2019

And the game ended in a 4-3 shootout on a Vinnie Hinostroza goal.

Ugh, gross. ? pic.twitter.com/z5343tIhX5

— NHL (@NHL) February 27, 2019

How many moves can one man make?

Wideout is out

Antonio Brown may not be the only AFC North receiver on the move.

ProFootballTalk.com posted a story saying that the Bengals are trying to trade John Ross. In his second season last year, Ross only had 21 catches. But seven went for touchdowns.

Ross never recorded more than three catches in a game.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.