Choi delivers in grand fashion
PHILADELPHIA - It was a big spot for Ji-Man Choi, and two pitches into the at-bat, things weren't looking very promising.
"After two pitches, I think most people would say he was in a lot of trouble," Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
Pinch-hitting with the bases loaded, two outs in the sixth inning and the Brewers trailing Philadelphia by a run Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, Choi wasn't going to go down quietly, however.
He laid off the next pitch, a nasty splitter by Philadelphia reliever Luis Garcia, and took a deep breath.
"The 0-2 pitch was the best pitch (Garcia) threw," Counsell said. "It was the same one he just swung at."
Garcia overthrew his next two splitters, missing badly, and just like that, the count was 3-2 and Choi could ignore that off-speed pitch and look for something harder.
"Then you're in a spot where Ji-Man could sell out for a fastball," Counsell
said. "Bases loaded, you've got to throw a strike there."
Garcia did throw a fastball, at 99 mph, no less, and a touch off the outside corner. Choi swung a tad late but got good wood on it, sending it to left field for what he thought would be the third out.
“I just thought it was a fly ball,” Choi said through translator Daniel Cho. “I really didn’t see where the ball went. Then I saw the actions of (first base coach Carlos Subero) and I knew it was a home run.”
A game-changing home run. With that one swing, the Brewers went from a 3-2 deficit to a 6-3 lead and they never took their collective feet off the gas pedal, pulling away to a 12-3 victory over the stunned Phillies. It was the second consecutive game the Brewers' quiet offense put up a dozen runs on the scoreboard.
"I think it's a game of momentum and we just saw the momentum shift happen," Choi said. "People started getting on base and I was able to deliver and all the guys were able to deliver as well."
The Phillies had to be feeling pretty good heading into the sixth inning, with the one-run lead and ace Jake Arrieta on the mound. Things started innocently enough when Ryan Braun reached base with one out on catcher’s interference, a
play you don’t see every day.
When resurgent Jonathan Villar worked Arrieta for a walk, Philly manager Gabe Kapler paid a mound visit but opted to keep Arrieta in the game, even though he had surpassed 100 pitches. It was a move Kapler immediately regretted when Arrieta plunked Erik Kratz for the second consecutive time with his next pitch to load the bases.
Gabler then summoned Garcia, who preyed on offensively challenged Orlando Arcía, striking him out on three pitches. Counsell said he thought it was
too soon to hit for Arcia, a subject that could be debated, but Choi took him off the hook when he followed with his first grand slam in the major leagues.
"That's a really big spot in a baseball game, and it's just a fabulous at-bat," Counsell said. "It's the kind of at-bat where the chips are pretty stacked against you and you still come back and you produce something incredible."
Whether it turns out to be Choi’s last contribution for a while remains to be seen. The Brewers must make a player move Sunday to add right-hander Brandon Woodruff to start in the series finale, and Choi’s roster spot seems vulnerable, especially with first baseman Eric Thames close to returning from a thumb injury.
Whatever happens, Choi was met in the Brewers dugout like a conquering hero after touching home plate. The language barrier aside, he is a huge favorite of his teammates, in large part because of his gregarious nature.
“It was chaotic (in the dugout),” said starter Brent Suter, who made only one mistake during his five innings of work, which Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins turned into a three-run homer. “We had bodies flying, arms going in the air. It was crazy.
“I’m just so happy for him. It was one of my favorite moments of the year.”
Choi was summoned from Class AAA Colorado Springs primarily to serve as a designated hitter in the two interleague series in Chicago and Cleveland. He made no impact in that role, going 1 for 13 as the Brewers lost four of five games, but made up for it with one swing of the bat against the Phillies.
“That was big,” said Jesús Aguilar, who had another big day with a two-run homer in the first inning against Arrieta and RBI double in a four-run outburst in the seventh. “He looked like he was in trouble. That guy was nasty.”
Then, to no one in particular, Aguilar looked across the visiting clubhouse and shouted, “We got Ji-Man!”
On this day, at the right time and place.