Ryan Vilade arrived at Yankee Stadium without a postseason hit on his résumé and left his first October game with one that changed the shape of Game 3.
The Rays right fielder drove a fourth-inning solo homer over the wall in right, putting Tampa Bay ahead 2-1 against the Yankees in Wednesday night’s American League Division Series game. It was Vilade’s first career postseason appearance, and the swing quieted the Bronx crowd in a hurry.
Vilade finds the right ballpark bounce
- Vilade nearly opened his postseason account in the second inning, sending a drive 356 feet to left field. The ball stayed in the yard, though it would have cleared the fence in six other Major League parks.
- In the fourth, he got another chance against Yankees left-hander Max Fried. With the count 2-1, Fried came in with a 95.5 mph four-seam fastball in the middle-to-away part of the zone.
- Vilade squared it up at 97.1 mph off the bat and sent it toward the short porch in right. Statcast projected the drive at 340 feet.
- Yankees right fielder Spencer Jones moved back to the wall and jumped for it, but the ball carried just beyond his reach. Unlike Vilade’s earlier fly ball, this one was a home run only at Yankee Stadium.
A matchup Tampa Bay wanted
Vilade, 27, was in the Rays lineup specifically for the look against Fried. He had handled left-handed pitching well during the regular season, producing an .818 OPS against southpaws.
Only Junior Caminero, at .916, and Victor Mesa Jr., at .868, posted a better OPS versus left-handed pitching on the Rays. Vilade finished the regular season with a .245/.321/.429 slash line and a .750 OPS.
Those numbers earned him the Game 3 assignment. His fourth-inning swing gave Tampa Bay the lead, and gave Vilade a first October memory that will travel a lot farther than 340 feet.
