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Altoona Curve catcher Easton Carmichael may only have a grand total of 22 games at the Double-A level, but he is not exactly a rookie when it comes to producing walk-off hits over his long baseball career through high school and college.
"I can probably count them on more than one hand, to be honest with you," Carmichael said.
His ability to come up big in pressure situations may be just one reason why he is listed as No. 8 on the Pittsburgh Pirates' top prospects list.
Carmichael made his first huge impression with a walk-off single through the left side to send 3,144 fans home happy in a 7-6 win over the Erie SeaWolves on Tuesday evening at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
Carmichael was on base four times on the night, going 2 for 3 and also made a slick sliding play in front of home plate to nail a runner at first base in the eighth inning. He's hitting .247 on the season.
"Whatever his numbers are, he's been really consistent with his approach and his process," Curve manager Andy Fox said. "With him just learning the league, you see the production and he's getting better and better."
The Curve were down 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth against Erie closer Zane Barnhart. After two quick outs to start the frame, Titus Dumitru and Murf Gray worked walks, and Ryan McCarty and Matt King pinch-ran for both runners.
Callan Moss laced a base hit into left field to bring home the tying run in McCarty to knot the game at 6. Carmichael followed with his heroics.
"You have an opportunity to win the game, but you're really just trying to string multiple good at-bats together one pitch at a time," Carmichael said. "You get to a 3-1 count and get an advantage count, I got one to put a barrel on.
"They take the lead in the top of the ninth, and we just clawed and had some good at-bats strung together."
None of it may have been possible without manufacturing three runs together in the bottom of the second inning. Will Taylor legged out a bunt single, and the Curve managed to take advantage of two Erie errors in the frame to take an early 4-2 lead.
"We preach details, and those are the little details that help you win games, especially early in the game," Fox said. "You never know how those are going to factor in, but when you do the little things and execute, you're going to give yourself a better chance to win."
Hope on the way
Detroit Tigers No. 2 prospect Zyhir Hope was the No. 2 hitter in the SeaWolves lineup on Tuesday. He went 2 for 5 with a long home run over the center field batters eye, and just missed another one with a flyout on the warning track.
Hope was the main piece that went back to the Tigers in the Los Angeles Dodgers' trade for star left-handed starting pitcher Tarik Skubal.
Hope also homered off Ager in Erie in his first series with the SeaWolves less than three weeks ago.
"You see the talent," Fox said. "We saw him in Erie earlier, but he knows the strike zone. He's got some pop. He's a really good defender in the outfield, and he's only 21 years old at this level. He's definitely a really good player."
Los Peces Dorados
Tuesday's game was one of the Curve's outings where they wore Los Peces Dorados jerseys, which connects Minor League Baseball organizations with Hispanic and Latino communities.
In addition to the Curve, the SeaWolves also wore their jerseys to honor Hispanic and Latino communities as the Erie Pinatas.
Up next
The series continues this evening at 6 p.m. with lefty Nick Dombkowski going for the Curve against Erie RHP Lucas Elissalt.