The Milwaukee Brewers do not win Game 2 of the World Series vs. Tampa Bay without the heroics of right fielder Sal Frelick in the sixth inning. Before Saturday night, the 26-year-old speedster was better known for his strong fielding and contact hitting, but with his solo, go-ahead home run shot to tie the contest, Frelick added power to the list.
Beyond the irrefutable clutch play by Frelick, who also contributed a single to right field at the bottom of the fourth to advance Cooper Pratt to third, this marked the Brewers' first and only home run of the World Series thus far — and their first since a Ted Simmons solo shot in Game 2 of the 1982 World Series.
According to Justin Havens, a.k.a. JayHay, this is only the third time a lefty batter has hit a game-tying home run off a lefty pitcher in the sixth inning or later. The other two? Joe Morgan in 1983, and 'The Great Bambino' himself, Babe Ruth, in Game 4 of the 1928 World Series.
Sal Frelick isn't the World Series hero Milwaukee Brewers fans expected, but he's the one they needed.
If you polled Brewers fans on which player would hit a home run to join Babe Ruth in the World Series record books, they'd probably guess Jackson Chourio, Jake Bauers, or William Contreras. It's hard to imagine anyone would say it's Sal Frelick, who only hit four of them in 111 games this year. But following the tradition of underdog stories and unwavering persistence built in Milwaukee over the last decade, it's only right for an unsuspecting hero like Frelick to emerge.
During the regular season, Frelick finished in the 11th percentile of Baseball Savant's Batting Run Value metric and the fourth percentile of hard-hit percentage. For a stretch of the season, Frelick gave us reason to wonder whether he'd hold onto his role at all. But those numbers mean nothing in the moment. Frelick hit the home run of a lifetime and was mere feet from sending another one into the stands at the bottom of the seventh.
Normally, Frelick is well-respected for his swift baserunning, strong defensive capabilities, and considerable field awareness. But for the rest of the Fall Classic, Tampa Bay will be watching him extra carefully, trying to keep one of the Brewers' least impactful batters from staying hot on offense, too.
Let's be honest — before this moment, if you took a poll of non-Brewers fans around the MLB, there's a good chance they don't know who Frelick is. But in Milwaukee, the 26-year-old is well known for his big personality and unwavering commitment to this franchise. To see his hard work and dedication pay off in such a meaningful way will be a lasting memory for Frelick and Brewers fans alike.
Now, they need to finish the job and bring home their first World Series victory to make sure that moment is remembered on the right side of playoff history.
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