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Tigers’ Riley Greene, grinding patiently, waiting to make his mark on ALDS

Vaseline October 9, 2024

Detroit – As if Riley Greene doesn’t have enough on his plate these days, trying to help the Tigers win a playoff series and all. But another Category 5 storm hits Florida, putting many of his friends and family in danger.

“It’s definitely scary,” Greene said before Wednesday’s game. “Back-to-back hurricanes are never fun. Prayers out to the people on the coast, in Tampa and things like that.”

Greene is from the Orlando area, but many of his friends and teammates, like Alex Faedo, live in Tampa. He called back to check on everyone.

“We should be good in central Florida,” he said. “Knock on wood. But I hope everything goes well.”

Just as the people of Florida are tested and prepared for the ultimate impact of Hurricane Milton, so are the Cleveland Guardians, prepared to face the destruction that Hurricane Greene may cause.

He’s clearly circled in the Guardians’ game plans. In his eight at-bats in the first two games of the ALDS, two came against left-handed starter Matthew Boyd, two against right-handed starter Tanner Bibee and the others against Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase, two of the Guardians’ most successful. trusted lever relievers.

Greene has one hit in this series, but he has been hit once and given a free pass in Game 2. The Guardians do their best to prevent Greene from beating them.

“My approach really hasn’t changed,” he said. “I’d say the pitching is better because, you know, you’ve got adrenaline like guys have never had. You’ve got guys throwing their best stuff at you. They’re out of velos. And because the guys got out of the bullpen early come, you might see the starter once or twice and then you’ll face the bullpen guys for the rest of the game.

“It’s a little tough, but it’s all part of it.”

The trick, Greene said, is to stay true to oneself. Don’t chase pitches or try to force anything.

“It’s a team game,” he said. “So you know, I trust the guys in the lineup and on the bench. I trust this whole team. I’d say it’s par for the course when a lefty comes along. I just have to do my best, get to the next guy, get a good at-bat for that next guy so he sees some pitches; just really grinding in the box for them.

That’s a mature approach for a 24-year-old All-Star playing in his first postseason.

“He’s going to make a big swing in this series,” manager AJ Hinch said Tuesday. ‘Could be tomorrow. Could be the next day. But I don’t see any difference in his behavior or stress. These guys just want to do well and do their part and get a good throw.

“The more he does that, he could be the biggest player in the game tomorrow. You never know.”

It was just five years ago that Greene was drafted out of Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Florida. Just five years ago, as a 19-year-old, he walked onto the field at Comerica Park and hit balls into the Pepsi Porch in right field, much to the delight of Miguel Cabrera.

Now he’s been a driving force in the Tigers’ late run, bringing playoff baseball back to town for the first time in a decade. Time flies.

“This has been a dream since I was a kid,” Greene said. “The first dream was to reach the big leagues. And then you come here and all you want to do is win and make the playoffs. Then you get to the playoffs and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is real.’

“It’s great. Definitely a dream come true. But we still have a lot of work to do and some things to sort out.”

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@cmccosky