Detroit Tigers supervisor A.J. Hinch talks playoffs in 2024
Detroit Tigers supervisor A.J. Hinch talks to reporters about making the playoffs on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, at Comerica Park.
Jason Foley jogged out of the bullpen to the identical tune.
His entrance music — “What is Love” by Haddaway — performed over the audio system at Comerica Park within the ninth inning of Friday's sport, simply because it has all season. This time, although, there have been 44,435 followers cheering for him. The Detroit Tigers have been one out away from advancing to the postseason for the primary time since 2014.
It was the largest second of Foley's profession.
Foley induced a flyout to right-center area on a second-pitch sinker to Andrew Vaughn, and though heart fielder Parker Meadows and proper fielder Wenceel Pérez collided, Pérez held onto the ball to safe a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox to ship the Tigers to the playoffs.
“It just shows that all the hard work you put in, trusting the process, coming to work with a good attitude, it's going to pay off,” Foley mentioned Friday evening, after his twenty eighth save clinched a postseason berth for the Tigers. “I'm really proud of this team, and I'm proud of what we're doing.”
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Foley, a right-handed reliever, registered a 3.15 ERA with 20 walks and 46 strikeouts throughout 60 innings in 69 reduction appearances within the 2024 season. The 28-year-old tied for fifth within the American League with 28 saves, trailing solely Emmanuel Clase (47), Josh Hader (34), Kirby Yates (33) and Clay Holmes (30).
He tied for ninth in saves amongst all MLB relievers.
Here's what stands out: Foley collected eight saves in his remaining 10 video games, of which 9 video games have been save conditions. Not solely did Foley get saves, however he additionally recaptured constant 97 mph sinker velocity and, surprisingly, missed bats along with his sinker greater than ever earlier than in his profession.
He ought to enter October with confidence.
“Some of it, I think, is you just trust the process,” Foley mentioned. “I know it's kind of cliche, but it's a long season, and you're going to have some ups and downs. Not many people are going to be perfect during the season, like Shohei (Ohtani). Sometimes, it just comes and goes. You gotta trust the process, battle through the lows and trust it's going to come back.”
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It was a rollercoaster of a fourth MLB season for Foley, as opponents hit .204 with three runs in March/April, .367 with seven runs in May, .167 with two runs in June, .368 with eight runs in July, .086 with three runs in August and .191 with 5 runs in September.
He discovered to provide himself grace when outcomes did not go his manner.
“It's really hard,” Foley mentioned. “It's probably the hardest thing about this game, dealing with the struggles and trusting that you're going to find your way back. I'm not great at it. But you just gotta tell yourself that you've had success in this league and you know you can success, and if you keep attacking the zone, if you keep doing what you need to do on a daily basis, you're gonna probably find it again. But it's a really hard thing to do.”
Foley completed on a optimistic notice within the common season, posting a 1.59 ERA in 22⅔ innings over 26 video games in August and September, with the Tigers successful 20 of these video games. In that stretch, right-handers hit .180 with a .432 OPS and left-handers hit .074 with a .323 OPS.
He notched 13 of his 28 saves within the remaining two months.
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“Him evolving back into someone that I don't hesitate to turn the ball to at the end of the game, regardless of who's up, has been a real key component of these close games going in our way,” supervisor A.J. Hinch mentioned, because the Tigers gained 13 of their remaining 15 one-run video games within the common season. “Early on, he was doing everything he could to capture a role in the ninth inning as the closer. Now I see him doing everything he can to get whatever outs he can whenever they are, and they are, the majority of times, the most important outs.”
Foley matured in his mindset within the ninth-inning function all through the 162-game common season, setting him up for achievement in high-leverage conditions within the postseason. The Tigers — led by Hinch's choices — can be aggressive of their bullpen utilization, calling on their greatest relievers in crucial conditions, even when it isn't the ninth inning.
Hopefully, Foley takes every thing he has discovered into the playoffs.
He deserves to be assured.
“It's something that I've tried to work on and something that I think I could always get better at,” Foley mentioned. “It's certainly nice to not take the lows too heavily, find yourself out of it and help the team by throwing some good innings.”
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or comply with him @EvanPetzold.
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