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DETROIT – Wide receiver Austin Hedges is supposed to be the veteran. He’s supposed to keep his throwers focused and calm on the mound and in the dugout.
Sunday he was nervous. Indian rookie Triston McKenzie was dancing with the story, a perfect game to be precise, and the dance was drawing to a close. It’s the end of it as in two strikeouts in the eighth inning with the Indians en route to an 11-0 victory over the Tigers.
Who felt the heat the most, the rookie with 23 starts in major championships to his credit? Or Hedges, who is in his fifth season in the big leagues?
“We were talking a bit (between innings),” Hedges said, “but I really didn’t know what to do. Triston was just dealing with it. He was so cold. So under control. So confident. I liked it.
“I’m here saying we have to make sure we get these guys out. I want this for you, man. Honestly, he was doing a good job of calming me down. It was just like dancing to music and having a good time. Enjoying something really special whether or not you get the overall results.
Hedges wasn’t the only one studying McKenzie in the vault. Interim manager DeMarlo Hale had his eye on him and the Tigers continued to come down in order.
“Actually, that’s an interesting part of it,” Hale said. “This is just Triston and his makeup and his character. He was always cheering on the hitters. He hasn’t changed much. He was walking. He stayed true (to himself). . whether it’s a 4-3 game or an 11-0 game.
“I heard chatter in the canoe. Some of the coaches, we looked at each other. It was like calm thoughts, like, “We have a chance.” “
McKenzie’s run in a perfect, no-hitting game ended when Harold Castro sent a fastball at 90 mph into right field with two eighth strikeouts for a single. Twenty-three high, 23 short, four strikeouts of the Indians’ first perfect game since Jewel Large Lenny Barker against the Blue Jays on May 15, 1981.
It didn’t happen, but it had nothing to do with McKenzie not isolating himself like some pitchers do when records and history are close.
“I don’t think anything has changed between this start and my last start,” said McKenzie. “After I complete a run, whether it’s a good run or a bad run, I’m going to see my teammates and let them know that I’m there for them and that they’re there for me. “
The winner and loser of this game were decided early when the Indians scored 11 points in the second and third innings. But there was still energy in the stadium because the crowd of over 25,000 was there to see if Detroit DH Miguel Cabrera would hit his 500th home run. He entered the weekend at 499 and left the same way.
McKenzie struck it out in the first, put it out on a flying ball in the fourth, and hit it again in the seventh after a version of God Bless America that McKenzie said “locked him up”. Maybe he should get a tape of that, as McKenzie knocked out the Tigers in order in the seventh, culminating in throwing a 94 mph fastball past Cabrera.
“As a staff, we had collectively agreed that we weren’t going to give up 500,” McKenzie said. “We were going to sue Miggy. We were going to get him out. We would definitely challenge him.
“I felt like at that point it wasn’t about the crowd or not letting him hit a home run, it was more about making throws and doing it. to take out. We did it the whole series.
Cabrera has 50 career homers against the Indians, the most against any team. But as of August 6, when the Tigers were in Cleveland for a three-game streak and Cabrera was sitting 498 home runs, he went 2-to-15 against the Indians. Both hits were singles.
The Indians are done with the Tigers for the season. They went 12-7 against them to win the seasonal series for the sixth year in a row.
“Miggy is going to hit 500,” Hale said. “At some point I will see him and congratulate him. But I’ll tell you what I liked. Our pitchers attacked him. They didn’t hesitate. They attacked him. He got a few locations that he would probably like to get back.
“But I was proud of all of our staff. They said, ‘If you want to have me, you’re going to have me, but we’re going to take you out and win a game.’ “
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