Matt Tuiasosopo has fond memories of his 2013 season with the Detroit Tigers. An October swing of the bat is responsible for one of the few unpleasant memories. Now the third base coach for the Atlanta Braves, Tuiasosopo was watching from the bench when David Ortiz blasted an eighth-inning, game-tying grand slam, a play that saw Torii Hunter tumble into Fenway Park’s home bullpen in a futile attempt to snare the drive. It was the signature moment of an epic ALCS Game 2 that the Red Sox went on to win, and a catalyst to their eventual capturing of the series. What was it like to be on the wrong side of such a memorable event, and how does he look back at it now that a decade’s worth of water has passed under the bridge? I asked Tuiasosopo those questions when the Braves visited Boston earlier this month. “That was an intense moment,” recalled Tuiasosopo, who while not on Detroit’s ALCS active roster was in uniform for the games. “The whole stadium was going nuts. It was really loud. Of course, my first concern was Torii, because he flew over that wall. When he got up, it was ‘Thankfully he’s okay.’ I mean, there were a lot of different emotions. “It obviously wasn’t fun,” continued Tuiasosopo. “At the same time, as a baseball fan it was, ‘Big Papi against one of our best relievers — Joaquín Benoit was big for us that season — and there was also everything that happened for the city of Boston [the Marathon bombing] that year. The moment was special, even though it sucked on our end.” Being part of a team managed by Jim Leyland is something that definitely didn’t suck for the erstwhile role player. The Tigers will be formally retiring Leyland’s No. 10 in a ceremony at Comerica Park on August 3, and you can count Tuiasosopo among those who feel he is worthy of the honor. “You wanted to play well for him,” said Tuiasosopo, who logged a 115 wRC+ over 191 plate appearances in his lone Motown season. “You wanted to make sure that you were prepared to do your job for the team when your number was called. That was all he asked, that you prepared well, prepared smart, and were always ready. And he had a great feel for the clubhouse. He made it a point to communicate with everyone. “During BP, he would walk around the entire field. He’d come out when I was shagging, to check in with me, joke with me. He’d say things like, ‘Tui, you’re still here.’ I would be like, ‘Yeah, I know skip. Damn. I still am.’ He’d say, ‘No, you deserve it. You’ve been great. You’ve been working your tail off and doing your job.’ Things like that help fuel your confidence. He cared about his players, on and off the field. He was genuine.” Every bit as genuine is the player-turned-coach’s appreciation for the highlight-reel play that Tigers fans would like to forget. As painful as it was at the time, he can look back and cherish being up close and personal for a piece of baseball history. “Every time I see the highlight, those feelings kind of rush through me again,” Tuiasasopo told me. “It’s ‘Wow, what a big moment in that series.’ You could sense things shifting —it was ‘I don’t like this feeling’ — but again, a magical moment for baseball. Sitting here now, in the same dugout, I can look out and see the entire play evolve, relive the whole entire reaction of this place. Again, it was loud. It was crazy.”
RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Don Mattingly went 1 for 17 against David Cone. Jorge Posada went 1 for 21 against David Price. Derek Jeter went 6 for 48 against Scott Kazmir. Joe DiMaggio went 6 for 36 against Joe Coleman Sr.. Thurman Munson went 9 for 56 against Joe Coleman Jr.
Jeff Francoeur experienced a momentous postseason play that was disastrous for his team in October 2005. Then a rookie outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, “Frenchy” was stationed in right field when Chris Burke hit a walk-off home run in the 18th inning to give the Houston Astros a 7-6 win and a berth in the NLCS. As the now Braves broadcaster recalls with a mix of horror and appreciation, the swing culminated a furious rally. “The thing that was toughest about that game is we were up 6-1 in the eighth inning,” Francoeur told me. “We were looking at a [potential] John Smoltz versus Andy Pettitte [decisive] Game 5 back in Atlanta. I was 21 years old, man. I was thinking ‘This is great.’ Then freaking Lance Berkman hits a grand slam. In the ninth inning, Brad Ausmus hits what I think was his third or fourth home run all year to tie it up. “We were dominating extra innings, but we just couldn’t score,” continued Francoeur. “We left numerous guys at second and third. And you know how it is in that ballpark. The longer the game went on, with that short porch, you knew it was just a matter of time. I was standing in right field, the game was taking forever, and when Chris Burke got that ball up in the air, it was ‘aaaah.’ I knew the game was over.” The outfielder-turned-broadcast-analyst learned a valuable lesson that day. “Ever since, I always tell people, ‘Don’t look ahead,’said Francoeur. “When the score was 6-1, I was thinking about a Game 5 and what it was going to be like in Atlanta. I felt that if we came home we were going to beat them. And while we never got the opportunity, I do remember being aware, as the game went on, that win or lose we were going to be a part of history. Looking back, I can absolutely appreciate that. It did take me awhile, though.”
Brad Ausmus has far more pleasurable memories of 2005 NLDS Game 4. “It was the biggest home run of my life,” the now-New York Yankees bench coach said of his two-out, game-saving bomb. “The game itself became a war of attrition, really. We went another nine innings after my home run. Neither team could muster any offense. I remember that I moved to first base for a couple of innings, then moved to catcher when [Roger] Clemens came in [in the 16th inning]. Pettitte had gone home sick. He was going to be the starting pitcher the next day if we had to play in Atlanta. He was actually driving back to the ballpark when we finally won it in the 18th, because we didn’t have any pitchers left. He’d basically been in bed watching the game on TV, hoping to be healthy enough to pitch a Game 5 if there was one. Fortunately there wasn’t.” Ausmus went deep 83 times in his 18-year career. Two of his 80 regular season home runs came against the Braves. All three of his postseason home runs came against the Braves.
A two-part quiz: A Hall of Famer led the National League in home runs in each of his first seven seasons. Another Hall of Famer, this one a pitcher, led the National League in strikeouts in each of his first seven full seasons. Who are these players? The answer can be found below.
NEWS NOTES
Gordy Lund, an infielder who played for the Cleveland Indians in 1967 and for the Seattle Pilots in 1969, died on April 10 at age 83 (per Baseball Player Passings). A native of Iron Mountain, Michigan, Lund logged the first of his dozen big-league hits off of Jim Lonborg in the Red Sox right-hander’s Cy Young season. Steve Klauke, the play-by-play voice of the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees from 1994 through last season, died on Monday at age 69 after being struck by a car. Klauke called more than 4,000 games for the Pacific Coast League club. SABR’s Oral History Committee will host a live Zoom interview with Harold Baines this coming Tuesday, June 18, at 6 pm EST. More information…
