Liam Hicks Has Been a Fine Catch for the Rays

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Liam Hicks had an adventurous night during Game 2 of the World Series in Milwaukee. In the first inning, after the Rays had already plated two runs against Brewers starter Logan Henderson, Hicks clubbed a two-run homer — the first homer of this year’s World Series, in fact — to extend the lead to 4-0. In the sixth inning, after that lead had been trimmed to a single run, he was thrown out at the plate while trying to score, a play that loomed particularly large in what became a 5-4 defeat that put the Rays in a two-games-to-none series hole. While Hicks has scuffled at the plate for much of the postseason, he’s come up big a few times, and has had a substantial impact since being acquired from the Marlins in a deadline-day trade. By the time Hicks batted for the first time on Saturday night, the 24-year-old Henderson had already thrown 23 pitches. Yandy Díaz led off, and after battling for seven pitches, he reached second base when shortstop Cooper Pratt threw away a fairly routine groundball. He scored on a Chandler Simpson single, and after Simpson stole second, Junior Caminero worked the count full and then fouled off a couple of pitches before singling home Simpson. Up came Hicks, and after he fouled off a high four-seamer, Henderson left an 87.8-mph cutter in the middle of the plate. Hicks connected, launching the ball 411 feet to right center for a two-run homer. FanGraphs Playoff Coverage Is for MembersYou must be a Member in order to read our postseason coverage. You can read our announcement here, but it's not the only reason you should consider becoming a Member. Membership includes:✓Ad-free browsing✓Unlimited FanGraphs & RotoGraphs articles✓Historical & platoon projections✓Leaderboard & player-page stat heatmaps✓One-click data exports✓Customizable player-page dashboards✓Dark & Classic site modes✓Weekly Members-only mailbag✓FanGraphs Walk-Off, your year in review✓Optional homepage photo removal✓Gift articles to non-Members✓Full postseason coverage