The fine folks over at WEEI had a tough Tuesday night. While the Boston Red Sox took a two-run lead to the bottom of the ninth inning thanks to a Kristian Campbell home run – a blast that will now go largely forgotten by national pundits – Javier Baez stole the show. Baez's bounce-back season is finally starting to receive the coverage it deserves, and he added an exclamation point to those columns with a walk-off home run in Motown.
It surely didn't help that the Red Sox lost the first game of this series 14-2. When Boston secured a lead the Red Sox announcers wrongly assumed Boston wouldn't relinquish, the final product wasn't pretty. We'll let you listen for yourselves.
“Baez drives one high and deep, you gotta be kidding.” - Will Flemming, of WEEI Red Sox radio. pic.twitter.com/ceiRtA3rgk
— will: Riley Greene Truther (@wrhiv_72) May 14, 2025
Sadly, Will Flemming, I am not kidding you! El Mago has been everything the Tigers could've asked for this season and then some.
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Javy Baez comeback story is more than the Tigers can handle
Since signing a six-year, $140 million contract in Detroit prior to the 2022 season, Baez had been a huge disappointment – so much so that Tigers fans theorized ways to trade him prior to the 2025 campaign.
Oh, what a mistake that would've been. Baez has been nothing short of miraculous, and a consistent clubhouse presence who is now producting at an All-Star clip. After his walk-off blast on Tuesday, Baez has scored 20 runs, hit five home runs with 28 RBIs, and is slashing .319/.357/.513, which is good for an .870 OPS. Baez also creates havoc on the basepaths and can defend well at multiple positions, including center field.
“He’s all in,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Baez. “We ask the guys to be all in, and here’s a guy who’s been through a lot in his time here...He's an incredible human and he's doing his part. He should get all the praise for how he's gone about it.”
Baez has rapidly transformer from a pariah to a fan favorite. I mean, just listen to this Tigers radio call in comparison.
The Baez walk off as heard on Tigers Radio pic.twitter.com/OS2Iqa8uMZ
— Jay Scott Smith (@JayScottSmith) May 14, 2025
Baez gave a postgame interview with chants of "JA-VY, JA-VY" in the background, a moment few would have predicted prior to the season. The Tigers entered the 2025 campaign expecting little to nothing from Baez. Anything he provided, even if just a positive locker room presence or role model, was gravy.
Instead, they've received arguably the best story in baseball.