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CLEVELAND — Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter once jokingly called utility infielder Andy Ibanez “Barry Bonds against lefties.” It wasn’t far from the truth.
But while the rest of his teammates were fueling a historic turnaround in the final two months of the season, Ibanez found himself stuck in a frustrating offensive slump — against lefties, righties, everyone.
“September was a tough month,” Ibanez said in Spanish. “I wasn’t able to contribute to help the team win, but I never gave up. I always stayed positive.”
But manager A.J. Hinch’s patience in September — when he kept playing Ibanez despite a string of ugly at-bats — ultimately paid off in October.
Ibanez started and doubled in the Game 1 victory over the Astros on Tuesday in Houston. In Game 2, his contribution was the sort of stuff that gets written into baseball lore.
With two outs and two strikes in the eighth inning, Ibáñez hit a clutch pinch-hit double that cleared the bases, driving in three runs and turning a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 lead. It was the game’s decisive moment and sealed the Tigers’ sweep of the Astros.
“His confidence is key for us. But our confidence in him is equally important,” Hinch said after the game. “Because we kept giving him those at-bats. This is how we’ve done it all year. This isn’t a different style because we’re in the playoffs.”
Earlier this year, Ibanez had a nearly .900 OPS — and virtually all over his power — against southpaws.
But he was hitting .172 with just one extra-base hit since mid-August. He’s doubled that total in two playoff games.
“At one point this year where managers would manage against Andy Ibáñez. When Andy’s looming and he’s in a place like he is right now, he’s a real threat off the bench to get the biggest at-bat against left-handed pitching.”
Ibanez said he had never experienced the playoff at any level since coming to the United States from Cuba.
“I never imagined a moment like this, much less playing here in Houston in the playoffs,” he said. “In the four years I’ve been in the Major Leagues, I’ve always had to watch it on TV, and now living it today, I think it’s a blessing.”
Ibanez’s constant readiness to hit — always with a bat in hand in the dugout — has become almost legendary, and the playoffs were no exception.
“I was ready from the second inning,” he said, gesturing to teammate Wenceel Perez, who was watching the press conference. “Wenceel is here and he won’t let me lie. I told him, ‘Let’s go to the cage.’ At any moment they were going to bring in a lefty and give us the opportunity, so from the second inning, I went to the cage, watched some videos, and I was stretching over there. Thankfully, in the eighth inning, they called me in, and I was able to hit that double to win the game.”
Ibanez’s double landed just inside the left-field line. With two outs, the runners were off to the races from the time the ball left his bat.
“I wanted those runs to score, I kept saying, ‘Get in! Get in! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a double as exciting as that one,” he said.
Why have the Tigers produced such late-season magic?
“We have good days and bad days, but the energy we have among everyone is what has helped us win,” Ibanez said. “
“I think we have really good players. The young guys are talented. But what has helped us the most is the unity, the unity we have in the dugout and in the clubhouse. We don’t give up. We keep working, and even though people don’t believe in us, the results are there.”
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