WATCH: Tigers' bold five-player infield adjustment fails to stop Guardians' Brayan Rocchio's walk-off single
The Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch may have gotten a little too cute on Wednesday afternoon. During a tight battle with the Cleveland Guardians, the veteran manager decided to make a bold decision to help shut down their opponents in extra innings.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, the Cleveland Guardians had a runner on third base with only a single out. That's when A.J. Hinch decided to make a strategic decision, moving one of the Detroit Tigers' outfielders into the infield in an attempt to hold the runner on base. Unfortunately for Hinch, the plan backfired in a major way.
"5 infielders? Hit it where they ain't! #Walkoff" - @MLB
Brayan Rocchio came up to the plate for the Guardians and faced the imposing five-player infield.
With only two players in the outfield, Rocchio laced a line drive to center, sealing the victory for Cleveland. The gamble from Detroit's manager backfired, as the Tigers lost 5-4 in extra innings.
When a manager makes such a bold move, it either works out and he looks like a genius, or it backfires and he raises eyebrows among fans. Unfortunately for A.J. Hinch, it turned out to be the latter. Although it may look odd, the decision to have a fifth infielder was the right move, as a simple deep fly would have scored the run.
A.J. Hinch and the Detroit Tigers have taken a major step forward this season
Although the 10th-inning gamble against the Cleveland Guardians didn't pay off, it has been a successful season so far for Detroit.
The club sits fourth in the American League Central with a 19-18 record. However, the fact that they sit above .500 is a representation of the progress the team has made this season.
"Tarik Skubal has been unbelievable. The CY Young race might run through Detroit this season…" - @woodwardsports
Thanks to strong seasons from the likes of Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter, as well as top-tier pitching from Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty, Detroit could find themselves in the postseason hunt.
While the club will undoubtedly need to close the gap, there have been plenty of signs of better things to come.