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Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith unleashes first big swing in 'one of the coolest moments yet'
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- Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith unleashes first big swing in 'one of the coolest moments yet'
Detroit Tigers rookie Colt Keith plans to have a long MLB career.
If that happens, Tigers fans will always remember what happened in Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Comerica Park. Keith unleashed the first big swing of his career by crushing a clutch two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game .
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The Tigers ended up winning, 11-9, in the 10th inning .
"I think I'm getting better every day," said Keith, who has five home runs in his past 10 games. "I'm just going to keep having good at-bats and try to put the barrel on the ball. It's one of the coolest moments yet."
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Detroit Tigers second base Colt Keith (33) celebrates a 2-run home run that tied the game 9-9 against L. A. Dodgers during the ninth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, July 13, 2024.
It wasn't just the home run.
In the top of the 10th inning, the Dodgers had the bases loaded and Freddie Freeman — who leads all active MLB players with 2,217 hits — at the plate in a matchup with right-handed reliever Will Vest . The Tigers needed a double play; Freeman needed virtually anything other than a double play.
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Vest spun a slider below the strike zone, inducing a hard-hit grounder up the middle that forced shortstop Zach McKinstry to dive. He snagged the ball in his glove, transferred to his right hand and flipped to Keith covering second base.
"I put my body on the line," McKinstry said.
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From there, Keith made a quick turn and fired a laser to first baseman Gio Urshela before Freeman touched the bag. Both Keith and McKinstry showed all their emotions on the way back to the dugout, as their spectacular play allowed the Tigers to escape the bases-loaded jam.
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In the bottom of the 10th, Gio Urshela teed off for a walk-off two-run home run to left field.
"He's in such a good place mentally and physically, but most importantly, emotionally," manager A.J. Hinch said afterward when asked about Keith's development. "I know from the very beginning he always thought he belonged, but you still have to prove it to the boys, prove it to the fans and prove it to yourself sometimes, and each of these experiences is going to make him more and more settled."
It was Keith's smoothest double play turn of the season.
Keith credited McKinstry for the double play, but Keith has been working hard with infield coach Joey Cora since spring training in an attempt to improve his footwork around second base.
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"I always want to help on both sides of the ball," said Keith, worth minus-10 defensive runs saved at second base. "I usually help on the offensive side, but to be able to get that double play, it was awesome."
Remember, the Tigers didn't pay Keith for his defense.
The Tigers, led by president of baseball operations Scott Harris, paid Keith — guaranteeing him $28.6 million over six seasons and maxing out at $82 million over nine seasons with incentives — before the first game of his MLB career, only because of his potential as a franchise-changing player on offense.
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As a rookie, Keith is hitting .253 with nine home runs, 22 walks and 59 strikeouts in 85 games in the 2024 season. In the ninth inning of Saturday's comeback win, the young slugger turned on a first-pitch, up-and-in cutter from right-handed reliever Evan Phillips for a two-run home run to right field.
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Keith hit .154 with a .387 OPS in the first 26 games of his career, but since May 1, he has hit .299 with all eight of his homers and an .854 OPS in his last 58 games. His 130 wRC+ since May 1 ranks 39th among 152 qualified hitters, including third among second basemen.
His comfort level has changed significantly.
"Pretty much night and day," said Keith, who implemented a toe tap for his first adjustment in early May. "I've had this every level, where I go up and I struggle, like I can't see the ball and can't see spin and can't do anything right. This was just a really dramatic, big step. It's one of the longest adjustment periods of my career, but I feel like I'm adjusting, and hopefully, I'll get more consistent as we go."
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Even better, Keith is hitting .410 with five homers and a 1.423 OPS in the past 11 games, carrying the Tigers for the first of what could be many times in his career. He has at least one hit in 10 games, at least two hits in seven games and at least two runs scored in five games over his run.
The Tigers have an 8-3 record in those 11 games.
"Anything can happen," Keith said. "I feel like we have a lot of potential. We just got to be more consistent with it. The last couple of weeks have been really good for us. I feel like we're playing good baseball. We gotta keep that going after the (All-Star) break."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Colt Keith's swing 'one of the coolest moments yet'
