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Jason Foley jogged out of the bullpen in the same tone.

His opening song – Haddaway's “What is Love” – ​​played over the loudspeakers at Comerica Park in the ninth inning of Friday's game, just as it has all season. This time, however, 44,435 fans cheered him on. For the first time since 2014, the Detroit Tigers were just one shot short of reaching the postseason.

It was the greatest moment of Foley's career.

Foley induced Andrew Vaughn to fly out to right-center field with a second-pitch sinker, and although center fielder Parker Meadows and right fielder Wenceel Pérez collided, Pérez held on to the ball and secured a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox Send the Tigers in the playoffs.

“It just goes to show that all the hard work you put in, trusting the process and going to work with a good attitude will pay off,” Foley said Friday night after making his 28th save to help the Tigers win a spot the postseason had secured. “I’m really proud of this team and I’m proud of what we’re doing.”

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Foley, a right-handed reliever, posted a 3.15 ERA with 20 walks and 46 strikeouts over 60 innings in 69 relief appearances during the 2024 season. The 28-year-old ranked fifth in the American League with 28 saves, trailing only Emmanuel Clase (47), Josh Hader (34), Kirby Yates (33) and Clay Holmes (30).

He ranked ninth in saves among all MLB relievers.

Here's what stands out: Foley has eight saves in his last 10 games, nine of which were saves. Not only did Foley make saves, but he also regained the consistent sinker speed of 97 mph and surprisingly missed more bats with his sinker than ever before in his career.

He should go into October with confidence.

“Part of it, I think, is just trusting the process,” Foley said. “I know it's kind of a cliché, but it's a long season and there will be some ups and downs. Not many people will be perfect during the season like Shohei (Ohtani). “Sometimes it just happens.” “You have to trust the process, get through the lows and trust that he will come back.”

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It was a rollercoaster fourth MLB season for Foley, as opponents hit .204 with three runs in March/April, .367 with seven runs in May, .167 with two runs in June and .368 with eight runs in July. .086 with three runs in August and .191 with five runs in September.

He learned to give himself grace when the results weren't what he wanted.

“It’s really hard,” Foley said. “Probably the hardest thing about this game is dealing with the difficulties and trusting that you can find your way back. I'm not particularly good at it. But you just have to tell yourself that you've had success in this league,” and you know you can have success, and if you keep attacking the zone, if you keep doing what you have to do every day, you probably will find again. But it's really difficult.

Foley finished the regular season on a positive note, posting a 1.59 ERA in 22⅔ innings in 26 games in August and September, with the Tigers winning 20 of those games. In that stretch, righties hit .180 with an OPS of .432 and lefties hit .074 with an OPS of .323.

He made 13 of his 28 saves over the last two months.

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“The fact that he has developed back into someone that I can pass the ball to at the end of the game without hesitation, regardless of who is in the lead, has been a real key factor in these close games that have come our way,” said Manager AJ Hinch. as the Tigers won 13 of their last 15 one-run games in the regular season. “Early on, he did everything he could to earn a role as a closer in the ninth inning. Now I see him doing everything he can to get as many outs as possible whenever they are, and in most cases they are the most important outs.”

Foley matured in his mindset in his ninth-inning role during the 162-game regular season, preparing him for success in high-leverage situations in the postseason. The Tigers – led by Hinch's decisions – will be aggressive in bullpen usage, using their best relievers in the most important situations, even if it's not the ninth inning.

Hopefully Foley brings everything he's learned into the playoffs.

He deserves confidence.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to work on and I think I could always get better at it,” Foley said. “It’s definitely nice to not take the lows too much, get out of them and help the team by throwing a few good innings.”

Contact or follow Evan Petzold at [email protected] @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show, Days of Roar, on-demand every Monday afternoon on freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And check out all of our podcasts and daily voice briefings at freep.com/podcasts.

On By John Fenwick

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