MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick left his team’s game with the New York Mets on Friday night after his left side banged into the right field wall while trying to make a leaping catch of a foul ball.
Frelick was attempting to catch a drive from Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez that hit the sidewall in foul territory. Frelick landed awkwardly after the collision with the wall down the right field line.
He remained down for several minutes as Brewers medical staff went out to deep right field to check on him. Frelick eventually walked slowly toward the dugout before being helped into the clubhouse.
Frelick has become a regular in the Milwaukee lineup. He is batting .259 with a .320 on-base percentage, two homers, 32 RBIs and 18 steals in 145 games this season for the NL Central-champion Brewers, who will open a wild-card playoff series on Tuesday.
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Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick, center, walks off the field during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Milwaukee. Frelick left the game after suffering an injury. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers earned an AL wild card berth on Friday night, ending a decade-long postseason drought.
Detroit clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, who set a modern major league record with their 121st loss.
The Tigers have been on a tear, winning six straight and 10 of 11 to surge into the playoffs.
Detroit was 55-63 on Aug. 10, 10 games out of the last wild card, and then went 31-11. During that stretch, the Tigers have the lowest ERA in baseball and the largest run differential.
AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal leads Detroit's rotation and Jason Foley has become a reliable closer in a strong bullpen.
Riley Greene, an All-Star outfielder, is the team's top player in a lineup that gets timely hitting from the top to the bottom.
Taking advantage of playing a historically bad team, Detroit broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning Friday night. Jake Rogers scored when Jared Shuster was charged with a wild pitch even though the ball didn’t hit the dirt just below catcher Korey Lee’s glove.
Greene put Detroit ahead 3-1 with a double in the seventh, and Chicago helped the home team’s cause again later in the inning when Fraser Ellard threw the team’s third wild pitch of the night.
Detroit went into the season expecting to contend for a spot in the playoffs in a second full season under president of basketball operations Scott Harris and A.J. Hinch's fourth year as manager.
The Tigers started strong, winning six of their first seven games. They had a winning record until mid-May, when the team started to slide in the standings.
They appeared to be out of pitching at the end of July when Kenta Maeda was demoted to the bullpen, Casey Mize and Reese Olson were injured and Jack Flaherty was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Each time it looked like the Tigers might rally, they would fail to sustain success and many fans in the state turned their attention to football.
Hinch got creative, rolling with a rotation of Skubal and rookie Keider Montero while relying on the bullpen to pitch entire games such as the series opener against the White Sox in front of 44,435 fans at Comerica Park.
Skubal and Montero have combined to go 11-3 since August 1, but only one other starting pitcher has won a game, and that was Brant Hurter against the Los Angeles Angels a month ago.
The Motor City's baseball team salvaged the season and revived interest, drawing big crowds after closing recent seasons in a mostly empty ballpark.
This story has been corrected. A previous version reported erroneously that the Tigers' win eliminated the Minnesota Twins from the playoffs.
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Detroit Tigers third baseman Matt Vierling throws out Chicago White Sox's Lenyn Sosa at first base in the seventh inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers' Brenan Hanifee pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows connects for a single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Detroit Tigers' Matt Vierling hits a sacrifice fly to score Parker Meadows during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Detroit Tigers' Matt Vierling reacts after scoring during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Detroit Tigers' Andy Ibáñez reacts after reaching third during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
The Detroit Tigers celebrate after defeating the Chicago White Sox to win a wildcard spot in the Major League Baseball playoffs Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Detroit Tigers' Matt Vierling celebrates after defeating the Chicago White Sox to get into the playoffs in a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Tigers clinch AL wild card with 4-1 win over White Sox, ending decade-long postseason drought
Tigers clinch AL wild card with 4-1 win over White Sox, ending decade-long postseason drought
The Detroit Tigers, including Tyler Holton (87), Jace Jung (17), Matt Vierling (8), Zach McKinstry, Trey Sweeney (27) and Kerry Carpenter, celebrate after defeating the Chicago White Sox to win a wildcard spot in the major league baseball playoffs, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
