MJ Melendez looked like he had a personal challenge going with Cal Quantrill during this late-season at-bat. From the start, Melendez didn’t hide his frustration with the offspeed pitches Quantrill was feeding him—cutters, curveballs, anything but the fastball he clearly wanted. After a stolen base put a runner in scoring position, Melendez kept fouling pitches off and jawing a bit, almost daring Quantrill to throw him something straight.
Quantrill finally gave in with a 95 mph fastball over the plate. Melendez didn’t miss, taking it the other way into the right-center gap. The ball rolled to the wall for an RBI triple. As soon as he reached third, Melendez showed his emotions. He stared down the mound, clearly fired up after winning the exchange. It was a small moment in a meaningless September game, but Melendez turned it into a personal battle and came out on top.