Cincinnati Reds reliever Emilio Pagán triumphed in a 14-pitch at-bat during the team's matchup against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.
Emilio Pagán had a night to remember on Tuesday during the Cincinnati Reds' opener against the Chicago White Sox.
As the Reds secured a slim 5-4 lead in the 10th inning off a sacrifice fly by Elly De La Cruz that drove in Matt McLain, manager Terry Francona turned to Pagán out of the bullpen to finish the deal.
However, White Sox second baseman Sam Antonacci made Pagán fight for it in a 14-pitch at-bat during the latter half of the inning.
Pagán leaned on his signature four-seamer from the get-go. Antonacci refused to bite though, fouling off nine of the pitches he saw.
Pagán utilized the splitter and cutter as well, but Antonacci remained unfazed. Finally, he would hurl a 95-mph four-seamer up and in the zone to get the reluctant Antonacci down swinging.
"I threw some really good pitches up and away, which is kind of my go-to whiff pitch," Pagán said, according to MLB.com. "Got the breaking ball in on him, he fouled that off too. Laid off a split off the plate. I kind of threw him everything I had."
Fired up more than ever, Pagán emitted a yell that let the Rate Field faithful know that he was not going to leave the mound unless his efforts led to a Cincinnati victory.
"This is so much fun," he said. "Just super high competition, intense moment. I’ve dreamed about being in spots like that since I was a kid."
Fortunately for Pagán, he would then face much easier competition in Luisangel Acuña and Tristan Peters who were both out within two pitches to end the matchup.
With the Reds' win, Pagán has compiled a 4.10 ERA and 1.10 WHIP on the season. Furthermore, the 35-year-old has notched 29 strikeouts through 26.1 innings of work.
Following the game, Francona commended Pagán and Antonacci for the grit they showed on the field while expressing happiness for his closer above all else.
"The kid had a great at-bat," Francona said. "Give that kid a ton of credit, but I would also say give Pagán a ton of credit. The saving grace for me is I know Pagán was loving every minute of it."
Besides Tuesday, Pagán delivered in the clutch on July 30 against the NL Central rival Pittsburgh Pirates, fanning two batters across a single inning of action. Additionally, he had one of his best outings earlier that month against the Chicago Cubs, striking out three batters to clinch a 4-0 shutout win in favor of the Reds.
Pagán also garnered praise from starting left-hander Nick Lodolo who recorded five punchouts during his first turn back in Cincinnati's rotation coming off a left index finger injury that kept him sidelined on the 15-day injured list.
"That was nuts," Lodolo said. "He wasn’t even just throwing strikes; he was throwing really good pitches."
Now, Pagán will turn his attention to earning his 15th save while working to remain healthy after battling through an injury himself earlier in the season when he suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in May.
The Reds will have an opportunity to secure the series win and do so in regulation tonight at 7:40 p.m. EDT as right-hander Rhett Lowder toes the rubber against former Red Luis Castillo.
