New York – Chris Paddack hasn’t had much occasion to smile since becoming a Detroit Tiger on July 28.
The trade from the Twins was a jolt and his early performances in a new uniform were so messy that he was moved out of the starting rotation and into a bullpen role. And in the middle of that, his beloved sister-in-law, Melissa Ann (Thornton) Garcia, died at age 45 after a brave fight against cancer.
So that smile he flashed after the Tigers’ 12-2 win over the Yankees in the Bronx Tuesday seemed almost restorative.
“I feel like I’m not the new guy anymore,” he said. “That’s what makes this special.”
Paddack, in his first work since returning from the funeral, dispatched the last nine Yankees hitters in succession, striking out four of them, to earn his first Major League save.
“You know, life goes on,” he said. “I’ve got some guardian angels looking above me now. I know they’re smiling down on me.”
He needed just 35 pitches to finish those three innings. He had full command of his four-seam fastball and sinker, which helped set up both his changeup and cutter.
Crisp and in control of all nine at-bats.
“First career save at Yankee Stadium – you can’t draw it up any better than that,” Paddack said.
“That’s what we used to say as kids in the backyard: ‘Three-two, bases loaded, two outs in Yankee Stadium.’ It was a very surreal moment for me.”
He couldn’t wait to share the moment with his family – his blood family and his new baseball family.
“I just can’t thank this organization enough and Tigers fans, for all the kind words, love and support they showed me over the last week,” he said.
“It’s really meaningful. We’re human beings at the end of the day and that meant a lot.
“To be able to get back home and hit that reset button, mentally and physically, and then being able to come out of the pen with a big league and just go out there and pitch – good things happened.”
His teammates, who honestly do not miss a trick, weren’t about to let Paddack’s career milestone go uncelebrated. Never mind that he’s 29 years old, debuted in 2019 and is in his seventh big-league season, a first is a first and the first save gets the full beer shower attack in the clubhouse.
Picture a 6-7, 217-pound Paddack being wheeled around in a laundry basket and being doused with any substance — food, liquid or powder — players can lay their hands on.
“I forgot what that feels like,” Paddack said. “I haven’t had a beer shower since 2019. It was good to get back in the basket and dance around with the boys. You never want to take those opportunities for granted. Usually that means something special happened for that player.”
That moment held a deeper meaning for Paddack. It meant acceptance. It meant he was a part of this, not just an interloper, a hired gun, brought in from the outside.
“These guys have welcomed me with open arms and that’s huge,” he said. “It was a bunch of new faces when I came over here but I feel part of the team now, part of the family. We still have September to finish and hopefully we’re going to do special things.
“I’m excited I’m a small piece of this.”