SEATTLE -- Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch summoned right-hander Casey Mize into the Comerica Park tunnel after the third inning in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Seattle Mariners, instead of giving him the fist bump that sends a pitcher back out for another inning.
In the tunnel, Hinch delivered his message, relayed to reporters later: "The best chance for us to not only keep this game close but to win this game was to continue to throw different pitchers at them."
By pulling Mize, the Tigers opened the bullpen door for the final 18 outs in a must-win Game 4 on Wednesday, Oct. 8. When that happened, rookie right-hander Troy Melton became the X-factor with the season on the line.
"We knew we were trying to get the ball to Melton," Hinch said, "but we didn't know when it was going to be."
When Melton started warming up, the Tigers were trailing by three runs as the bottom of the fifth inning opened. He completed three scoreless innings in the sixth, seventh and eighth, facing 11 batters.
The Tigers ended up winning, 9-3.
Not only did Melton carry the Tigers nearly to the finish line in Game 4, but he also started Game 1. The 24-year-old -- a 2022 fourth-round draft pick who made his MLB debut in late July -- pitched in each of the Tigers' two wins in the ALDS, allowing one run on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts across seven innings.
Melton wants to pitch in the winner-take-all Game 5.
"I'll be ready if they need me," said Melton, who could be available for one or two innings in Game 5 after throwing 57 pitches in Game 1 and 35 pitches in Game 4. "I'm ready to go."
In Game 4, Melton experienced all of the emotions.
He warmed up in the bullpen with the Tigers trailing 3-0. By the time he took the mound, the offense had rallied for three runs on three hits in a row in the fifth to tie the game. Then, from the dugout after his first inning, he watched as the offense erupted for four more runs in the sixth to take a 7-3 lead.
His reaction?
"I can get a win in this game, let's go," Melton said. "Honestly, it doesn't change too much. I can attack the zone a little bit more, but other than that, I'm happy that we're scoring runs and have a chance to win."
Melton threw his fastest fastball for his final pitch in the sixth inning, just before the Tigers grabbed the lead.
He hit 99.7 mph.
It was part of a three-pitch sequence that featured nothing but high velocity to Randy Arozarena with two runners on and two outs: a 98.4 mph fastball (swinging strike), a 99.4 mph fastball (called strike) and, finally, a 99.7 mph fastball (flyout).
"The fastball, it's been there," Melton said.
The four-seam fastball is what makes Melton special.
His fastball averages 97 mph, but more importantly, he can get swings and misses with it -- both in and out of the strike zone -- at a rate few pitchers can match.
His four-seamer generated a 29.7% whiff rate overall and a 27.9% whiff rate in the zone during the regular season, well above the MLB averages of 21.7% and 18.2%, respectively.
For context, right-hander Jackson Jobe -- the former No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball -- posted whiff rates of just 14.2% overall and 14.1% in the zone with his four-seamer before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
"I do it a little bit different than a lot of guys," Melton said. "I have a different release, and I throw pretty hard. When you see results like that, and you are getting swings and misses, it's easy to trust."
That's why Melton wasn't surprised by the effectiveness of his fastball in Game 4.
A different pitch stood out to him.
Melton had pinch-hitter Luke Raley -- a left-handed hitter -- in a two-strike count after three fastballs in a row with one out in the sixth inning. He threw a perfectly executed down-and-away splitter that induced a swinging strikeout.
It set the tone for effectiveness of his splitter.
"I've struggled with the splitter a little bit this year," said Melton, who dominates right-handed hitters but needs the splitter to shut down lefties. "Of late, it's been really good for me, but I've struggled commanding it and throwing it in places where I'm getting swing-and-miss. In the last three or four outings, it's been really good for me, so I'm building confidence with that."
Melton showcased a sharp fastball and splitter, but it wasn't just his pitch mix that helped the Tigers keep their World Series hopes alive in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Mariners.
He stayed calm under pressure, both as a starter in Game 1 and a reliever in Game 4.
If the Tigers advance in the postseason, it's going to start with a dominant performance from reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the ALDS -- and it could finish with Melton out of the bullpen once again.
"None of that is surprising to me," Skubal said of Melton. "It doesn't seem like the moment gets too big for him. He just focuses on what he does, and that's throwing strikes, going right at guys, getting leverage and doing all the things that pitching is about."