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Matt Vierling is leader of young Detroit Tigers in postseason race
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- Matt Vierling is leader of young Detroit Tigers in postseason race
Two years ago, Matt Vierling played in the World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies .
Vierling, who turns 28 in mid-September, is one of three current Detroit Tigers to have played in the World Series. (The others: Javier Báez and Kenta Maeda .) He is still young, but he has settled into a leadership role because of his past experiences, as the Tigers push for the postseason in the final month of the 2024 season.
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The Tigers are tied for the youngest MLB roster .
"I feel like it's been like that for most of the year," Vierling, a four-year MLB veteran in his second season with the Tigers, said last week. "The questions you all have asked me, some of them at least, have tailored more towards the side of what I see older guys get."
Many times, Vierling has stood in front of his locker in the clubhouse after a tough loss and answered questions on behalf of the team. He stays calm in his responses, preaches turning the page to the next game and expresses confidence in bouncing back from any loss.
Vierling is the leader of one of the majors' youngest rosters.
Left fielder Matt Vierling of the Detroit Tigers catches a fly ball hit by Rob Refsnyder of the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Comerica Park on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024 in Detroit.
"It's cool, but at the same time, I don't have a ton of experience, so I try to answer the questions the best I can," Vierling said. "I just always go back to my recent experiences, like going to the World Series. I think about how those guys handled the young guys. I just try to think about those times. I think about what they might say in the moment."
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Vierling reflects on Nov. 2, 2022.
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That's when the Phillies — his old team — were no-hit by four pitchers from the Houston Astros in Game 4 of the World Series , the second no-hitter in World Series history and the third no-hitter in postseason history. After the game, Phillies leader Kyle Schwarber was asked about being on the wrong side of history.
"I really don't give a (expletive)," Schwarber said . "Nope, move on to tomorrow."
That response stuck with Vierling.
"If we have a tough game, I'm not going to freak out," said Vierling, who credited Schwarber, Bryce Harper , Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto for their veteran leadership in Philadelphia. "Those guys would always be the same. I look back at when I was a young guy and how those older guys handled the moment, you learn from them. Maybe the young guys can learn from me."
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Vierling is as steady behind the scenes as he is on the field, hitting .259 with a .744 OPS in 124 games. He has set career highs with 16 home runs and 25 doubles while tying a career high with five triples. He also plays all three outfield positions, as well as third base. The biggest development is finally learning to pull the ball in the air for home runs to maximize his power potential.
Off the field, Vierling started to emerge as a leader last season.
"He is such a fun player to manage and coach and watch him learn and grow," manager A.J. Hinch said in late August after Vierling launched his 15th homer. "He is very disciplined. He has a game plan. He goes up and does it. He's so stable for our entire team. He's had some experiences at this level. Guys look to him for guidance. He's a steady influence. I love Matt Vierling . I love what he brings to a team. Another winning player that we're really fortunate to have."
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The Tigers entered Friday five games back of the third and final American League wild-card spot, with 21 games remaining. Winning 16 of their previous 23 games, despite four losses in the past seven games, has inserted the Tigers into a postseason race.
The Tigers have a 7.5% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs .
"It seems like every day we got a young guy that does something pretty cool," said Vierling, who has 12 games of postseason experience in his MLB career. "It's pretty special to see what's going on."
Vierling is the fourth-oldest position player on the active roster, trailing only Andy Ibáñez (31), Jake Rogers (29) and Zach McKinstry (29). At 27, Vierling has been the oldest player in the starting lineup twice in the past two weeks.
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Both lineups joined Vierling with Colt Keith (22), Jace Jung (23), Riley Greene (23), Trey Sweeney (24), Parker Meadows (24), Spencer Torkelson (25), Dillon Dingler (25) and Kerry Carpenter (26).
"We're forgetting that Riley is 23," Vierling said.
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On Thursday night, Meadows kept the postseason aspirations alive by hitting a clutch go-ahead grand slam in a full count with two outs in the top of the ninth inning off right-handed reliever Robert Suarez , providing a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres .
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It was the first grand slam of his career.
The Tigers — for the first time since 2016 — are playing games in September with postseason implications. The youth movement is real, but Vierling's experience is leading the way.
"When you're on the biggest stage, everything else isn't as big," Vierling said. "You're able to deal with some of these moments better, and you also learn from those moments. You have to get adjusted to what you're going to feel and the crowds and the pressure that comes with it and the big games. The more big games we can play right now, the better we'll be down the road."
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 get vet edge from Matt Vierling: 'Not going to freak out'
