The Changeup 10/24: Don't Fret, Just Call On Brett, Tampa Bay Walks Off to Win WS Game 4

TB walks off to beat LAD 8-7, World Series Tied 2-2

Don't you love this cover photo of Kiermaier celebrating with Phillips? Get you a man that looks at you the way Kevin looks at Brett.

Wow. This game was a nail-biter the whole way through and the last play of the game was straight up Little League.

In Bottom 9, the Rays were trailing 7-6 with 2 outs, runners on 1st and 2nd. Brett Phillips came up to bat because, well, Tampa Bay really had no one else left. The Rays already switched out most of their position players in various offensive strategic moves earlier in the game. Phillips' base hit should have only scored 1 run and tied the game, but thanks to a few Dodgers fielding and throwing errors, Arozarena scored the walk off run in a blazing, dramatic fashion. 

Here were the specific Dodger errors: CF Chris Taylor fielded the base hit. It was a routine one-hopper, but Taylor got distracted watching the runners, so he didn’t see the ball all the way into his mitt. The ball tipped off his glove and he had to chase it down to his left. After chasing it down, Taylor threw it to the cutoff man who threw it home for the Catcher to make a tag play at home. The throw had Arozarena beat, but the Catcher also let that ball get past him. Arozarena scored. 

Brett Phillips was SHOOK after hitting his walk-off single. To give some background on Phillips, he was only recently traded to the Rays in late August of this year. This was only his 3rd ever postseason at bat. He was the definition of a benchwarmer. My guess is that most Rays fans didn’t even know who Phillips was before today. 

In his postgame interview, Brett didn't have a lot to say; he was still in shock. He gave praise to his entire team, saying that it was a real team effort having used over 25 guys total. My favorite part of this interview was him flashing a big smile and simply saying, “baseball is fun”. 

This game lasted 4 hours and 10 minutes. 

Special K Ate a Big Breakfast Today

Special K (Kevin Kiermaier) was also clutch today. He scored the final tying run in Bottom 9 on Phillips' RBI single. To get on base in Bottom 9, he hit a broken bat bloop single into shallow right center. When I say broken bat, I mean his entire bat split cleanly into two pieces. That's the most “broken bat” broken bat hit I’ve ever seen. I love this photo below of him at first base just holding the stub of his bat. RIP to Kevin's bat: You are gone but never forgotten. 

4 Rays Home Runs

I’m loving these Rays opposite field homers this Series. The Rays hit 4 home runs today, 2 of which were opposite field:

1. Oppo: Randy Arozarena (Bats Right). Solo homer to right center in Bottom 4. He hit this on a first pitch 95 mph fastball. It was his 9th home run this postseason. 

2. Pulled: Hunter Renfroe (Bats Right). Solo homer to the second deck of left center in Bottom 5. It was a 444 foot home run hit at 111 mph exit velocity. 

3. Oppo: Brandon Lowe (Bats Left). 3-run shot to left center in Bottom 6. 

4. Pulled: Kevin Kiermaier (Bats Left). Solo homer to right field in Bottom 7. It was a no-doubter that got up high and landed about 10 rows into the stands. 

Pitching: Many Calls to the Bullpen

LAD: Starter Julio Urías went 4 ⅔ and got 9 K’s, but also gave up the 2 solo homers to Arozarena and Renfroe. The Dodgers used 5 more Pitchers from the bullpen. 

TB: Starter Ryan Yarbrough went 3 ⅓ giving up 2 solo homers to Turner and Seager. Tampa Bay needed to use 6 more Pitchers from the bullpen today. Almost everyone hanging out spitting seeds in the Tampa bullpen got called up today to play. 

Baseball is a Fun Game: Bears Hugs All Around

In Top 4, the Rays make a tag play to nab Max Muncy at second base on his RBI double. Muncy does a pop-up slide at second. As he’s popping up, Muncy loses his balance and falls face first onto SS Adames. Adames bear hugs Muncy to break his fall and they both topple over together. It’s a pretty funny play and Adames has a nice laugh about it afterwards. Baseball is not a contact sport, but when there is contact, it’s usually accidental and friendly.

About the Author

Bonnie Young runs the Amplified blog. She shares her insights on market trends from US to Asia and interviews founders shaking up the tech scene. She has been passionate about baseball since the age of 13 and regularly attended A's games before the pandemic. Bonnie is currently looking for a growth equity or VC role in the Bay Area. You can reach her at bonnieyoung@berkeley.edu

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