Carpenter's historic playoff: 2 HRs, 6 reaches.

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Transcript

00:01Welcome to an inside look at a pivotal managerial decision that changed the course of a playoff

00:06game. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made a bold move on Friday night by placing Kerry Carpenter

00:11in the leadoff position. This decision was straightforward, with no hidden strategies

00:15involved but rather a clear challenge directed at the Mariners. Hinch observed during the

00:20first two games that Seattle was strategically adjusting its pitching changes based on Carpenter's

00:25position in the batting order, particularly anticipating his third at-bat. In response,

00:31he decided to elevate Carpenter to the top of the lineup. Heading into Game 5 of the AL Division

00:37Series, Carpenter had an impressive record against Seattle's starting pitcher George Kirby,

00:42having hit home runs on all five occasions he faced him. By placing Carpenter at the forefront,

00:47Hinch seemed to provoke the Mariners, presenting them with a dilemma. They could either allow

00:52Kirby to pitch to Carpenter for a critical third time, risking another home run, or they could

00:56opt to pull Kirby early from the game, despite his strong performance of only allowing three hits and

01:02one run in five innings. Manager Dan Wilson was faced with this tough decision regarding Kirby's

01:07fate. Spire was brought in to replace Kirby on the mound, but ultimately, it made little difference.

01:14Carpenter, who had previously hit a two-run homer off Kirby in Game 1 of the ALDS,

01:19that helped secure a victory for Detroit, repeated his success in the sixth inning of

01:24the crucial Game 5. He connected with a 1-0 fastball from Spire, sending it an estimated 401 feet to

01:31dead center, which gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantage on Friday night. Before this game, Carpenter had

01:37only managed to hit one home run against left-handed pitchers since April 9, and his regular season

01:42batting average against Southpaws was a mere .217. Wilson was aware of this statistic, but he also

01:51recognized that Carpenter had consistently performed well against Kirby, with his two hits

01:57on Friday bringing his career batting average against the Seattle right-hander to 7 for 13,

02:03including five home runs. Despite Carpenter's struggles against lefties, Hinch chose to stick

02:09with him instead of opting for a pinch hitter who had more favorable statistics against left-handed

02:14pitching. I wasn't going to let him take Carp out of the game, Hinch stated. He made a really

02:18solid swing on a really good pitch. The pitcher performed exceptionally well and clearly provided

02:24a significant advantage for the team. With the series at a critical juncture, Wilson decided to

02:29make a strategic change that he had not implemented in Game 1, but had in Game 2. He brought in his

02:34left-handed specialist Spire to face Carpenter during his third at-bat after Kirby allowed a

02:39double to Javier Baez at the start of the inning. Baez's hit was particularly noteworthy, as he

02:45connected with a slider that was located on the outer part of the plate, driving it toward the left

02:50center gap. Julio Rodriguez managed to reach the ball before it could pass him, but Baez took the risk and

02:55successfully slid into second base, narrowly avoiding the tag from Jorge Polanco. With the tying run now on

03:02base, Wilson opted to replace Kirby in an effort to stop the momentum. In Game 2, Spire had previously

03:08struck out Carpenter with a fastball that was right down the middle. However, this time, Carpenter

03:14reacted differently to the same pitch, hitting it decisively and transforming the game's dynamics.

03:20He turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead, with three and a half innings remaining, while Tarek

03:26Skubal was on the mound, making his mark in the postseason. In a remarkable moment during a high-stake

03:32playoff game, Carpenter became the seventh player in history to hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth

03:38inning or later, while his team was trailing in a winner-take-all scenario. This achievement is

03:43particularly notable, as he is only the fourth player to accomplish this feat since 1980.

03:49Reflecting on his home run, Carpenter expressed his initial confidence saying,

03:53I was pretty sure it was out, but I knew I hit it pretty high. It's a little cold out,

03:59and it's not the best hitter's park, so I thought I got it, but I was a little bit unsure there for

04:04a second. I was just making sure. His performance didn't end with the home run. Carpenter reached

04:11base safely six times throughout the intense 3-2 loss that extended into 15 innings. This ties him for

04:18the most times reaching base in a postseason game, a record shared with Kenny Lofton from the 1995

04:24World Series and Stan Hack from the 1945 World Series. However, Carpenter's achievement stands out

04:31as the only one among these instances that occurred in a winner-take-all game. Would you have had the

04:37courage to make the same bold move?

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