Stephen Vogt knows the usual wisdom behind a personal catcher. He spent 10 years in the majors, most of it behind the plate, and he has never been especially sold on the idea.
But Tuesday night in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, he kept Austin Hedges paired with Parker Messick anyway.
Messick made his 35th start of the season, and the breakdown told the story of how steady the partnership has been: 32 starts in the regular season and three more in the postseason. Hedges caught 34 of those outings, with David Fry handling the other one.
For most of the year, the setup has worked cleanly. Messick finished the regular season 12-9 with a 2.56 ERA, putting himself in the mix for AL Rookie of the Year and at least some Cy Young attention.
The postseason has been bumpier. In two starts against the White Sox in the ALDS, Messick went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA.
Still, the decision in St. Petersburg was less about questioning Messick and more about figuring out which catcher gave the Guardians the best chance to win right then.
“We had a conversation about it last night,” said Vogt before Tuesday night’s game. “What it came down to is what puts us in the best position to win this game. And that’s for Parker to be the best version of him.”
Hedges, who played in 82 games this season, hit .247 (53-for-216) with 10 doubles, six homers and 25 RBI. He was 0-for-2 in the postseason entering Tuesday. Even so, Vogt made it clear this wasn’t a reflection on his catcher’s season.
“Not saying that Paddy can’t catch Parker,” said Vogt. “I’m sure Parker would be just fine. It’s more about do we want to disrupt what Parker has been doing all year tonight?
“It didn’t feel right. Hedges has been a big part of our team and has had a great offensive year. There’s no denying that with the way Paddy’s been swinging the bat, we want to keep him in the lineup.
“But when we weighed this out, and what is going to help us win this game, it’s Parker being the best version of himself and we believe that’s with Hedgie catching him.”
The choice came with Patrick Bailey swinging a hot bat and making a real case to stay in the lineup. In Monday’s 7-3 win, the switch-hitting Bailey homered and singled.
Through six postseason games, he was hitting .368 (7-for-19) with two homers and three RBI. Since Aug.
20, Bailey has hit .290 (20-for-69) with four homers and 12 RBI, and the Guardians have gone 28-13, including the postseason, over that stretch.
Messick’s own history with Bailey added another wrinkle. In Game 4 of the ALDS, he was pulled after 2 1/3 innings with the Guardians trailing 2-0 and on the brink. Bailey then pinch hit for Hedges to open the fifth inning and launched a homer that sparked a rally in a 9-5 win, keeping Cleveland alive.
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Jose Ramirezs throwing error in the fourth inning opened the door to three unearned Rays runs, a costly lapse in a game Cleveland could not afford to waste. The series now shifts to Progressive Field tied 1-1, with the next three games set for Cleveland and the margin for error already feeling smaller than ever. [Read more 🡒]