Detroit native Hunter Brown dreamed of pitching for the Tigers, now he has to tame it for the Astros

HOUSTON — Hunter Brown exemplifies his hometown, a place that prides itself on grit and has a caffeinated football coach who can’t stop talking about grit. Dan Campbell calls it “the foundation of the Detroit Lions,” but talk to those who call this city home and you’ll see it’s anything but trivial.

“This enthusiasm has been with the city of Detroit for a long time, and Hunter Brown embodies that,” said Ryan Kelley. “A little bit of that resolve and where he grew up – in a Detroit neighborhood – will help him. He has competitive experience and fire, so he will be able to use that.

Kelley is from Detroit and has coached the local college baseball team for the past 16 seasons. Wayne State University’s campus is located less than two miles from Comerica Park, providing an unbreakable connection between both football clubs – one is a Division II favorite and the other operates as an October team of destiny.

Kelley’s Tuesday practice coincided with the Detroit Tigers’ first playoff game in 10 years, so Kelley broadcast Dan Dickerson’s radio call over the Harwell Field public address system for players to enjoy. The field cleared for a chaotic ninth inning as Kelley watched from the edge of his office chair.

The Tigers’ 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros moved them 27 outs away from extending their improbable invasion of the American League playoffs. The man who must stop this is one of the best players the Kelley program has ever produced, a boy born and raised in Detroit who, for one afternoon, is the city’s biggest demon.

“It’s very awkward. Personally, I am a Detroit Tigers fan. I will always be a fan of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit sports,” Kelley said. “I definitely hope the Tigers do well, but there’s some emotion there and a lot of connection with Hunter. I want it to be amazing, I really do. This is special. I would say I’m grateful that we even have the opportunity to talk about it, or even talk about it.”

Tuesday evening did not create an atmosphere of sentimentality. Tarik Skubal toyed with the Astros for six brilliant innings before anonymous Detroit relievers unleashed “outfield chaos” to collect the final nine outs. After his team left the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Brown answered eight questions at the plate before heading out, preparing for the biggest start of his life.

“I try to think about the playoffs all year long and I know every game in the big leagues is really important,” Brown said. “So I’m going to, honestly, prepare the same way I have throughout the season.”

Houston’s entire uneven season rests on Brown’s right shoulder. None of the team’s other 27 players better embody the path it has traveled. Brown hit rock bottom in early May, when everyone around him had already arrived. Brown wasn’t the biggest problem for the Astros, who started the game with a 12-24 record, but coaches still acknowledge that a demotion to Triple-A was looming for the lethargic young pitcher with a ball-limiting issue.

Manager Joe Espada and pitching coach Josh Miller suggested a short detour to the bullpen to “possibly speed up the season.” Brown obliged and tormented the Tigers’ lineup for five innings of one-run long relief ball. He struck out seven and allowed five hits on May 11 at Comerica Park, where hometown fans caught a glimpse of the past.

Six days earlier, Brown had started throwing the sinker. Alex Bregman had already suggested that right-handed hitters not lean over home plate, but watching Seattle outfielder Bryce Miller and George Kirby made Brown even more inclined to incorporate it. He hasn’t released a sinker since his time at Wayne State, and even then it wasn’t the main focus of his arsenal.

It is around the pitch that his season should be viewed. Since Brown started throwing a sinker on May 5, only Chris Sale and Paul Skenes have a lower ERA than his 2.51 mark. He completed at least six innings in 19 of his 23 starts during that stretch.

Given Detroit’s better performance against right-handed pitches, some wondered whether Houston would start left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in Game 2 instead of Brown. The fact that Espada avoided naming Brown the starter until the first game only reinforced that thought.

“Hunter started Game 2 a long time ago. I just never told you that,” Espada said. “He is one of the best starters in the game. He was one of the best pitchers in the second half. So for me it was a no-brainer.”

Tigers manager AJ Hinch could line up left-handed hitters Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry against Brown on Wednesday, but Brown boasts reverse splits – perhaps another reason why Espada always had him in mind in second match.

Few pitchers in the sport throw with more confidence than Brown, who has always craved big-time moments. During his junior season at Wayne State, coaches considered whether to lock him up and preserve his draft stock.

“He received the ball. He is running for an NCAA Division II program while he is on the brink of being drafted,” Kelley said. “I look back on those moments and he still received the ball, although perhaps other potential fans would have a different opinion. He wanted to quit. He wanted to compete. And he wanted to help his team win.”

Kelley keeps in touch with Brown after each of his starts, sometimes just a quick text or voicemail. Some of Brown’s Wayne State teammates have met him on various trips this season, including one of his roommates in Toronto. Brown has an off-season home in downtown Detroit, where he walks his dog, Whiskey — sometimes around Comerica Park.

Brown is one of nine draft picks in Wayne State baseball’s 83-year history. Only Brown and reliever Anthony Bass made it to the major leagues. Brown’s rise to ace status puts him on the cusp of becoming the best player the school has ever produced, something he always thought was possible but never said out loud.

Doubt has always fueled Brown, whether from the Division I school that offered him a job as a bullpen catcher or from countless talent evaluators who doubted he could handle being a major-league starter.

The boy from Detroit proved everyone wrong and found himself where he always expected to be – on baseball’s biggest stage, witnessing another game of his favorite team.

“Looking back, if I think about it, when I was 10 or 11, I was thinking about throwing for them,” Brown said. “A little different now.”

(Photo: Logan Riely/Getty Images)