In the eighth inning on Friday night in San Diego, Mike Brosseau of Munster, Indiana hit the biggest home run in Tampa Bay Rays franchise history. Brosseau’s pinch-hit blast off of Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman broke a 1-1 deadlock, and gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 victory in the fifth and deciding game of the American League Divisional Series.
Brosseau came into the game on Friday from San Diego initially as a pinch hitter. Rays manager Kevin Cash decided to put Brosseau into the game in the sixth inning, and he did not disappoint. Brosseau, who came into the game for Ji-Man Choi, singled off of Yankees star reliever Zach Britton at the time.
Then Brosseau stayed in the game to play first base. When it was his turn in the lineup again, he decided to swing on a full count pitch, and hit a 375 foot home run. The dinger was also from the 10th pitch he saw from Chapman. Brosseau had also fouled off four pitches in the at bat. It should be noted that the Chapman pitch that Brosseau hit was clocked at 100 miles per hour.
The Rays have won series before. Back in 2008, they beat the Chicago White Sox in four games in the American League Divisional Series, and then the Boston Red Sox in seven games in the American League Championship Series. Then in 2013, the Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0 in the American League Wildcard game, and in 2019, the Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1 in the American League Wildcard game. However, in none of those Rays playoff moments, did they hit a home run with the magnitude of Brosseau’s home run on Friday.
Now the Rays get to stay in San Diego. It is there they will play the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series which starts Sunday night.
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