CLEVELAND — For a Tigers group that has beautifully exercised a formulation of using a military of bullpen arms on days that it’s not beginning its frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award, there are many under-the-radar names that could possibly be pivotal if Detroit is to advance in this American League Division Series towards Cleveland.
But one X-factor for this stealthy bunch could possibly be the defensive artist who's masterfully manned heart discipline.
Parker Meadows, in any case, has been entrance and heart for a few of the Tigers’ largest performs in this season of shock.
“That guy is a pitcher's best friend,” reliever Will Vest mentioned on Friday forward of Game 1 at Progressive Field. “I know double plays are supposed to be our best friend. Parker Meadows is our best friend. It's good to have him back there.”
It’s not simply that Meadows has bailed out his pitching workers in many of those key sequences. They’ve additionally served as momentum-seizing moments for Detroit’s offense.
“It definitely helps the momentum, for sure,” Meadows mentioned. “I've been trying to make plays the whole year for the team, and you see everybody else making plays, and it's big for the team. To be able to come in the dugout and celebrate with the boys and carry it into us hitting, it definitely helps.”
Here are 4 such examples to this point in 2024, and why Meadows’ glove shall be price watching in this best-of-five bout:
Shortly after Andy Ibáñez’s heroics in the eighth inning, Meadows ensured that there can be no Houston comeback. It was a tall activity given the opponent — a postseason juggernaut — and the surroundings, as issues can flip rapidly inside the quirky dimensions of Minute Maid Park. With two outs in the ninth, Meadows raced 85 ft into the right-center hole on a 105.9 mph liner from former World Series MVP Jeremy Peña and forcefully slammed into the wall. Vest then induced a game- and series-clinching groundout to Mauricio Dubón.
A magnificence in Baltimore
Date: Sept. 22 @ BAL
What occurred subsequent: Carpenter hits decisive homer
With two outs in the fifth inning and the recreation tied at 3, Meadows raced 128 ft to his left in 6.2 seconds, timed his soar completely and yanked again a would-be two-run homer from Colton Cowser that may’ve proved decisive on the recreation’s ultimate consequence. The play had a 35% catch chance, per Statcast, and it halted Baltimore’s rally. In the prime of the subsequent inning, Kerry Carpenter blasted a solo homer that wound up being the day’s ultimate run in a massively necessary win, as there was just one week remaining in the AL Wild Card race.
A Royal rundown
Date: Sept. 17 @ KC
What occurred subsequent: Meadows later drove in the go-ahead run
Meadows sometimes performs deep — amongst 51 certified heart fielders, his common beginning depth of 329 ft was second highest — which is probably a byproduct of taking part in at cavernous Comerica Park. But that strategy served him nicely when operating after a 398-foot liner from Hunter Renfroe at Kauffman Stadium, which Meadows had simply 4.4 seconds to chase down. As the third out in the third inning, it stranded two and preserved a 1-all tie, which Meadows broke in the tenth with a go-ahead bloop single into shallow left. The Tigers had been exterior the playoff image by simply 1 1/2 video games at the time, and so they pulled into a tie for the ultimate AL Wild Card spot two days later.
The Seattle stunner
Date: Aug. 7 @ SEA
What occurred subsequent: It sparked their late-summer turnaround
The Tigers have many moments to level to when their season turned, however the residence run theft of Cal Raleigh at T-Mobile Park ranks close to — or at — the prime. With two outs and one on in the eighth inning, the Mariners’ burly backstop crushed a 396-foot blast that appeared destined for one more clutch second in a younger profession that’s been filled with them for Raleigh. But Meadows timed the ball completely then leveraged each inch of his 6-foot-5 body to increase his glove over the wall and hold it in the yard. Per Statcast, the liner carried a .720 anticipated batting common and would’ve been a homer in 4 ballparks. Entering that collection, Detroit was 53-60 and had simply 0.2% playoff odds, per FanGraphs. Since then — together with their two-game sweep in Houston — they're an MLB-best 35-16.
