MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits in Week-24
2. Trey Mancini, 51 percent
The Tigers’ 8-4 victory Saturday was, as previously noted, laden with drama on both sides. Even before Hicks’ walk-off grand slam, even before Reyes’ last-ditch game-tying home run, there was Trey Mancini.
Mancini’s Orioles had fallen behind on Harold Castro’s third-inning home run and trailed 2-0 when Reyes singled home Willi Castro.
Meanwhile, Tiger pitchers Daniel Norris and Drew VerHagen aced their assignments, limiting the Orioles to a combined four hits and one walk through seven innings.
But Tiger manager Ron Gardenhire decided that VerHagen had had enough starting the eighth, so he called on reliever Bryan Garcia. He fanned D.J. Stewart, then set down Rio Ruiz on a 3-2 pitch for the second out. At that precise moment, four outs from victory, the odds of a Tiger victory were 92 percent.
But as good as things looked, they would turn within a few pitches. Hanser Alberto started the rally with a ground single through the infield, and Jonathan Villar punched another grounder through shortstop to put the tying runs on base.
Mancini was next up. Enjoying probably the best season of his career, Mancini stood in with 31 home runs, took the first pitch, then hammered the next one over the wall in right field for his 32nd.
That hit not only broke the shutout and gave Baltimore a 3-2 lead, it shifted the odds of an Oriole win by 51 percent, to 69 percent. Sadly for the Orioles, that wasn’t good enough.