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Indianapolis Indians

Indians Collect Season Highs in Runs, Hits and Home Runs to Blast Mud Hens

May 18, 2024 - International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


INDIANAPOLIS - Ji Hwan Bae launched a leadoff home run, Matt Gorski hit a tape-measure shot 478 feet and Henry Davis homered twice to carry the Indianapolis Indians to a triumphant 16-10 win over the Toledo Mud Hens on Saturday night at Victory Field.

Bae started the slugfest with a bang, homering to straightaway center field on the third pitch he saw against Ty Madden. The leadoff shot sailed 441 feet and was his second of the season and fourth of his Indians career, moving him into a tie with Max Moroff for the most leadoff home runs by an Indian in the Victory Field era. The Indians (19-21) extended their lead to 4-0 thanks to a two-run single by Bae and bases-loaded walk by Jake Lamb in the ensuing frame.

The Mud Hens (24-19) got on the board in the third inning on a run-scoring single by Jace Jung. The visitors pulled with one in the fourth on an Anthony Bemboom RBI single and Parker Meadows three-bagger, but Indianapolis maintained its lead with single runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth to carry a 6-4 advantage into the final four innings, which featured a combined 16 runs and four home runs between both clubs.

Toledo turned the game over to infielder Riley Unroe for his first career pitching appearance in the sixth, and the Indians opened the floodgates with a four-run burst before tallying six more runs in the eighth. Davis cleared the left-field wall with his first home run of the game, Gorski brought home two runs on a triple and Canaan Smith-Njigba notched an RBI single to make it 10-4, and Gorski and Davis each smacked three-run shots in Indy's final at-bat.

Gorski finished a single shy of the cycle and recorded a career-high five RBI. His home run in the eighth was the longest hit in the International League this season and the longest by an Indian since Statcast advanced tracking began in 2022. Davis also matched career highs with his two-homer, four-RBI performance. It was his fourth career game with multiple home runs, the last coming with Pittsburgh on July 21, 2023, at Los Angeles (AL).

Chris Gau (W, 1-0) surrendered three earned runs on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts to earn his first career win in Triple-A. Madden (L, 0-1) gave up four earned runs on four hits in 1.2 innings pitched. Unroe was tagged for 10 earned runs on 10 hits in 2.2 innings of relief.

The Indians established new season highs in runs, hits (18) and home runs. Indy hadn't hit more than two home runs in a game all season prior to Saturday's slugfest. The team's previous highs for runs and hits came on May 1 vs. Buffalo when the Indians scored 14 runs on 17 knocks.

Bae finished 4-for-6 with three RBI, Andrés Alvarez registered a 3-for-4, three-run performance from the bottom of the order and Nuñez and Grant Koch had two hits apiece.

Indianapolis and Toledo conclude the series on Sunday at Victory Field with a doubleheader. Game 1 starts at 12:35 PM, and the second contest will start 30 minutes after the end of the opener. Neither team has named its probable starting pitchers for either game.

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