Reds fan is tasered and tackled by police after storming the field in Cincinnati and performing a flawless back flip

If you can't beat 'em, tase 'em.

That was the lesson for Cincinnati police on Tuesday night, when an over-enthusiastic Reds fan stormed the field and eluded cops before executing a flawless back flip in front of one helpless officer.

Spectators at Great American Ball Park were all too happy to ignore the 5-3 loss to the visiting Cleveland Guardians and instead focus on the attention-seeking hooligan in a Johnny Bench replica jersey.

The man first darted over to Guardians centerfielder Tyler Freeman, who appeared unamused with the ninth-inning visit. From there, the intruder ran away while victoriously raising both arms above his head only to come to an abrupt stop in shallow right-center field. Then, with an officer rapidly approaching, the unidentified man performed his graceful backflip before attempting to flee on foot once more.

Unfortunately for him, the humiliated officer was unsheathing his taser and quickly dropped the offending fan.

Spokespeople for the Cincinnati police and the Reds did not immediately return DailyMail.com's request for further information on Wednesday morning.  

As for the Reds, their evening had an equally sad ending. 

Josh Naylor hit his 17th homer and Freeman made two impressive defensive plays, helping Cleveland top Cincinnati in the opener of the Ohio Cup series.

Steven Kwan hit a two-run double for AL Central-leading Cleveland, which earned its third consecutive win. Triston McKenzie (3-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, and Emmanuel Clase worked a shaky ninth for his 20th save.

The Guardians went ahead to stay with three runs in the third against Nick Martinez (2-4). Kwan hit a two-run double and scored on Naylor's single.

The Reds had jumped in front on Jeimer Candelario's RBI double in the first. But they lost out on a chance for more because of back-to-back spectacular catches by Freeman in center.

First, Freeman ran down Spencer Steer's flyball against the wall in deep center. Then he made a leaping grab to rob Jake Fraley of a homer, ending the threat.

'Any time you rob a homer, it's sick,' Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. 'Those were huge plays there. It could have gone a lot different if he didn't make those plays there. He keeps getting better and better.'

The Reds did get some good news on Tuesday. 

Cincinnati sent infielder Noelvi Marte to Triple-A Louisville for a 15-game rehab assignment. Marte was suspended before the season for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. 

One of Cincinnati's top prospects, Marte is eligible to play in the majors again June 27.