Maldonado’s cannon comes up clutch
Catcher helps club out of late dilemma with powerful arm
Dusty Baker routinely heaps praise on Martín Maldonado.
Even as his veteran catcher hit just .172 in the regular season and even worse in the postseason, the Astros manager said Maldonado is his guy.
Obviously, Baker loves the 11year veteran for everything he does when he doesn’t have a bat in his hands. It’s the way he handles the pitching staff. It’s the way he subtly frames pitches.
It also is, of course, the cannon he possesses for an arm and the mind he uses to make sure it’s ready to fire.
The man they call “Machete” for the way he cuts down runners unleashed that arm in what was the biggest defensive play in the Astros’ 5-0 win over the Red Sox on Friday night that is sending them to their third World Series in five seasons.
With the Astros clinging to a 2-0 lead and just nine outs from another World Series berth, the Red Sox threatened for just the second time in the game.
The Red Sox had runners on first and third with just one out in the seventh inning as Kendall Graveman struggled to find his control against pinch hitter Travis Shaw.
When Graveman came back to fill the count against Shaw, Maldonado started thinking about Red Sox manager Alex Cora and how he likes to be aggressive in situations like this. Alex Verdugo was at first base and had just six stolen bases all season, but with a full count, Maldonado had his eye on him and was prepared to come out of his crouch firing if Verdugo took off for second.
Graveman got a swing and miss from Shaw, and sure enough Verdugo had taken off on the pitch.
Maldonado sent a laser over the middle of the diamond that smacked right into the glove of Carlos Correa, who applied the tag for the strike-’em-out-throw-’emout to end the inning.
“I wasn’t sure if he was going to run or not, but knowing Alex (Cora), I thought he was going to try to grab the momentum,” Maldonado said. “I was ready to come up throwing. I saw him going, and I was ready for the moment and to shut him down.”
After tagging Verdugo on the knee, Correa leaped to his feet at second base, while Maldonado turned to the crowd and repeatedly banged his fist on his chest protector. “That was just pure happiness,” Maldonado said.
In Maldonado’s less fiery moments, he was just as good behind the plate.
The Astros weren’t sure what they were going to get from starting pitcher Luis García, who didn’t even get out of the second inning against this same Red Sox team.
Any flirtation with starting Jason Castro, who had a clutch RBI single against Game 6 starter Nathan Eovaldi just three days earlier, instead of Maldonado was quickly dismissed by Baker before the game, who said he was thrilled to have the veteran guide his 24year-old pitcher through a possible pennant clincher.
“Maldi’s the best,” Garcia said. “We talk every day. He always tries to get the best out of me. He shows me a lot, but also just makes sure I’m focused and relaxed. He helps me a lot.”
Maldonado managed to keep the rookie pitcher calm throughout the biggest start in his career, and Garcia rewarded that soothing energy by throwing strikes.
Maldonado also delivered his first hit of the series, singling to left in the fifth inning. That leave his average this postseason at a paltry .069 (2-for-29), but Baker will be sure to pencil in his trusty catcher back in the lineup when the World Series starts Tuesday.