DETROIT — As the saying goes, “Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports.” It’s a feeling that stands firmly on its own and doesn’t need qualifiers. However, not all at-bats are created equal, so context matters. Regardless of the players involved, important truths remain. Hitting a round ball with a round bat is already difficult, but it becomes exponentially more difficult when the count is not in the batter’s favor.
And in Game 4 of the ALDS, the count wasn’t in David Frye’s favor.
The back-and-forth game ended in a 5-4 Cleveland victory, and Frye was the center of attention in the Guardians’ elimination game. He did not start the game, but was used as a pinch hitter for rookie Kyle Manzard in the seventh inning with a one-run deficit and two outs and runners on base. Tigers manager AJ Hinch responded with his own managerial move by bringing in trusted firefighter Beau Briske.
Matching Briske was a difficult task the moment the bullpen door opened. Through four stellar appearances, the right-hander has yet to allow a hit this postseason. This year, Frye was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts against Briske.
A 95 mph fastball came for strike one. Fry fouled out a nasty two-strike changeup.
Suddenly, on the 0-2 hole, the hardest thing in sports becomes even more difficult.
It’s no coincidence that the ballpark crowd often rises to its feet when the home team’s pitcher reaches two strikes, because the odds that the at-bat will end in the pitcher’s favor increases dramatically. This time was no exception. Comerica Park stands united, eager for the Brisket to once again quell the Guardians’ rally, as it has done so many times as postseason baseball returns to the Motor City after a decade of quiet Octobers. They were ready to roar in unison.
But Frye has defied the odds numerous times this season, rising from obscurity to one of the most popular and productive players on the Guardians’ roster. One case in point: Despite overwhelming statistical evidence that success at bat after stumbling in the ultimate pitcher’s count is extremely rare, Frye was successful in those situations. The MLB team posted a combined batting average of .163/.197/.252 after going 0-2 in the regular season. Frye, on the other hand, hit .265/.307/.530 under such conditions and had an OPS of .837, the best in baseball history.
And Fry, undeterred, began to dig himself out of the 0-2 hole he had been in so many times before. He fouled another fastball and then watched as Briske threw two pitches to the outside to tie the count. Then Briske brought the heat again, this time in the zone. Frye leaped over the ball and unleashed a towering drive that ended with a game-winning two-run homer that sailed just over the left-field wall.
The ever-increasing attendance in each section of the park, which was filled with 44,923 spectators, a Comerica postseason record, came to an abrupt halt. As Frye rounded base, the only sounds could be heard from the jubilant Guardians’ dugout and the few rows behind home plate, which was filled with family and friends of Cleveland players.
“As a baseball player, this is obviously his coming out party as a player. To play in the All-Star Game, finish the season with an .800 OPS, and then go out and do what he’s always done. ”’ catcher Austin Hedges said after the game. “It’s no surprise to us, but he means the world to us. And you know, a big reason why we’re here now is because of David Fry.”
Frye’s heroics Thursday went beyond just the game-winning home run. In the top of the 9th inning, he took his turn at bat with one out and a runner on base. With a one-point lead, Vogt realized that Cleveland’s best chance to add points against reliever Will Best wasn’t to force Frye to swing another long ball, but rather something more subtle. I believed that.
On Best’s first pitch, Frye tucked a perfect bunt to right, giving Breyan Rocchio enough time to dive home from third base and slide in safely. This provided vital insurance when Detroit scored from all-world closer Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“All of our players are working on their bunts, which is a tool that we need to use to continue to get extra runs to extend our lead,” Vogt said afterward. “And with David, when I talked to him I said, ‘Hey, do you want to do this?’ He said, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve bunted many times in my life. ”I am confident. ”
Fry confirmed. “Vogt came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, how confident are you that you’re going to make a bunt?'” And I told him I wasn’t a very good hitter in high school, so pretty much. I’m confident. ”
Frye’s last two at-bats (a blast and a bunt) were just part of the breathtaking twist that unfolded in Game 4. Cleveland ended a 20-inning scoreless streak with three hits and a comfortable march to the top. It was the first frame, but Detroit tied things up in the next frame. In the top of the fifth inning, Jose Ramirez’s huge solo home run to left was immediately canceled out by a solo home run from Tigers utility man Zach McKinstry, who started the inning from the bottom.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Detroit collected multiple runners against Cleveland’s Cyborg rookie relief ace, Cade Smith, including one who reversed and scored on Wensel Perez’s first base hit, leading Detroit to the first inning. They took their first lead of the night, putting the Tigers within nine outs. ALCS.
They ended up recording only two more before Frye flipped the script.
The team that survives this win-or-go-home game will feel pretty good after the final out is recorded. But such feelings were elusive, especially for the Guardians. Elimination games haven’t been going very well with this franchise lately. Prior to Thursday’s win, Cleveland had lost 11 straight postseason games, the longest streak in MLB history. It’s the first time Cleveland has avoided elimination in October since Game 6 of the 1997 World Series, which ended 27 years ago in a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Marlins.
Given that the characters are constantly changing, this is probably an overstatement that doesn’t mean anything. It varies from season to season, team to team, and opponent to opponent. But it speaks to a recurring experience that Cleveland fans have to deal with and be reminded of every time their team is on the brink of a season.
The road ahead remains steep – after all, Tariq Skubal is looming in Game 5 – but the dream of ending the 76-year World Series drought is still alive. They need nine more wins starting Saturday.
