Mike Brosseau hits a go-ahead home run in Game 5 of the ALDS, a breakdown
What Happened
In a crucial Game 5 of the American League Division Series, the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees face off with their seasons on the line. The game is tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Rays outfielder Mike Brosseau steps up to the plate against the hard-throwing Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman. Brosseau and Chapman have history, as Chapman previously threw a pitch dangerously close to Brosseau's head, igniting a benches-clearing incident between the two teams. The tension is palpable as Brosseau digs in against the fireballing lefty. Chapman starts Brosseau off with a 98-mph fastball for a strike. He then tries to expand the zone with two high fastballs, but Brosseau refuses to chase. Chapman goes to his new split-finger pitch, but it doesn't fool Brosseau, who continues to work the count full. With the game on the line, Chapman decides to challenge Brosseau with another fastball. "Get it up," catcher Gary Sánchez signals to Chapman. But the pitch stays middle-middle and Brosseau unleashes his swing, launching a go-ahead solo home run over the left-field wall. Brosseau's eyes grow wide as he admires the blast, then he points emphatically toward the Rays' dugout. Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi is the first to greet Brosseau, the two players embracing enthusiastically. The Rays' dugout erupts in celebration, players spilling onto the field to mob Brosseau. As Brosseau rounds the bases, he stares intently toward the Yankees' dugout, where a disconsolate Chapman looks on. Brosseau makes his way through the gauntlet of high-fives and fist bumps from his teammates, finally finding Choi again, who playfully shoves him as the Rays revel in the go-ahead run. The Rays' dramatic victory puts them one step closer to advancing in the playoffs, while the Yankees are left to contemplate their season coming to an end. Brosseau's redemptive home run against his recent rival Chapman has provided a climactic moment in this heated American League postseason matchup.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentgame five do or die whoever loses is
eliminated whoever wins moves on
auraldis chapman versus
brasso in the eighth inning if you
remember
this is the guy chapman threw over his
head
and started a little brouhaha i did a
breakdown on that
scary as hell as soon as they showed
this i was like
uh oh uh oh storyline time
first pitch from chapman's a fastball 98
nice pitch then he goes high and brasso
expands the zone you can see him kind of
looking at himself like
ah come on man that'll be the last time
he expands the zone that
does not get called a strike and that is
a split finger
chapman's new pitch he threw it three
times in the regular season he threw it
one
time against cleveland in the postseason
and now he throws it here o2
and it's a pretty good pitch he doesn't
want to throw it outside it gets the
tumbling action they don't get the call
one two he goes high again change the
eye level brusso says i'm not expanding
the zone dude 2-2 gary says get the
slider down
he doesn't get incredibly down but gary
says good pitch good pitch okay
okay 2-2 again fastball
fouls it to the right side and kind of
does this little head not thing like all
right i'm on it now gary calls for a
fastball and says get it up
two two we got one more ball left in us
he misses he doesn't get it up but then
he doesn't get the call it was a ball
kind of a nice smile there gary says
we're all good stay in it stay in it
that's off the plate
so now it's a full count and brasso
ain't expanding the zone he's not
chasing he's locked in
gary says let's go outside fastball
chapman says no
i want to throw the slider so here comes
the slider gary kind of sets up high to
try and uh
fake brasso out like it's gonna be the
high fastball maybe he's just like
damn i really wanted the high fastball
here anyway and then as soon as he goes
into his delivery he drops down for the
slider and brasso
rocks that one it's in the zone because
they know he's not expanding the zone
rocks that one so now he's on the slider
let's go brass let's go brasso
uh slider gary calls for the slider he
wants to double him up
let's go back to it he's swinging at it
let's go back to it
chapman says no he says okay fastball
gary says get it up
get it up boom right down the middle he
fouls it right back and now brussels is
like yeah
not bad on it look at this guy fouls a
fastball right back that means he's on
the fastball so now he's on the slider
he's on the fastball he was down 0-2 he
works at the 3-2
what do you possibly throw him they
elect fastball same pitch as before and
now
he booms it into left field go ahead
home run
redemption storyline is there look at
his eyes after he hits it just
wide open open their eyes boys points to
the dugout
goes crazy oh we're gonna get some
adamus
he's the first one over the railing gman
choice got ups
big old fist pumps brett phillips
laughing they almost break each other's
arms and then we got boom boom boom boom
boom
boom boom and then g-man choice steps
into that
is this a raised thing is this the g-man
choi thing raise fans help me out
because it's pretty funny
like if braso doesn't know what's
happening here
it's you know choi is kind of attacking
him if he doesn't know what's going on
he rolls with it maybe this is what they
do i don't know i don't i don't know
i love it it's fun choi's a fun guy to
root for
now he's going to go through the
gauntlet in the dugout just get beat to
[ __ ] by his teammates a mad dash to un
uncork that bottle throw it everywhere
and i like this at the end he gets
through the gauntlet he looks out at
chapman he says what now [ __ ] staring
at him
look at that mean muggy through
chapman's way right here
finds him staring at him i wonder if he
would have kept staring at him if he
didn't get picked up
i wonder if he was going to say
something chapman's way he didn't get
picked up would like to know
would like to know and you guys know i
love shouting out my cameraman
look at the guy hand-held
he's getting the shot of them breaking
each other's arms now yandy gets in his
way so he's got a side
skirt him okay look at this look at this
he's one and one hand on the camera side
skirts them
gets the other hand back on the camera
just in time for the perfect shot
of the handshakes good job cameraman
love ya always got love from my
cameraman and crew