Youth reigns in Game 2: Just ask Albies, Riley
MILWAUKEE -- Ozzie Albies dropped to the dirt at second base and ripped off a few impromptu pushups.
Because, well, he has no plans to miss next time.
Albies doubled off the top of the right-field wall in the third inning of Saturday¡¯s 3-0 victory over Milwaukee in Game 2 of the National League Division Series at American Family Field. It scored a run, but it was so close to being a two-run homer that the Braves asked the umpires to review it. The review confirmed what everybody suspected: Albies didn¡¯t muscle the ball out like he had hoped.
It is during that delay that Albies worked on his pecs and triceps.
¡°Workout's tomorrow,¡± Braves third baseman Austin Riley joked.
¡°Tomorrow's an off-day,¡± Albies said. ¡°I might work out from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. That ball has to go out.¡±
Riley crushed a 428-foot solo home run to center field in the sixth as the Braves evened the best-of-five series, which will continue with Game 3 on Monday afternoon at Truist Park.
Albies and Riley continue to do damage behind Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, who singled to score the game¡¯s first run and scored on Albies¡¯ double/almost homer. The two 24-year-olds are just the fifth set of teammates in AL/NL history at 24 or younger to simultaneously construct 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons. The others are Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder (2008 Brewers), Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock ('04 Rangers), Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco (1987 A¡¯s) and Don Hurst and Chuck Klein ('29 Phillies).
Albies hit a 0-1 changeup from Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff, only 1.04 feet above the dirt, according to Statcast. Riley ripped a 0-1 changeup down and away.
¡°Some of the pitches, they hit good pitches,¡± Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. ¡°The changeup to Albies was below the zone. Changeup to Riley was down and away. Got it in a pretty good spot.¡±
But good hitters hit good pitches. Still, sometimes it surprises even them.
¡°He threw me back-to-back changeups,¡± Albies said. ¡°He threw one that was in the strike zone, and I fouled it off. I said, 'He's probably going back with offspeed right here.' I was kind of sitting offspeed. I know it was a ball, but I'm a small guy. I hit low balls a lot. So I put a good swing on it and good things happened.¡±