WEST SACRAMENTO -- Put on the spot, Austin Hedges did not immediately recall his most recent three-hit game. The Guardians’ catcher wondered if he had logged one over 12 years in the big leagues.
Hedges has nine such games, including a 4-for-4 performance on Aug. 18, 2019, while he was with the Padres. That previously stood as his most recent three-hit affair, before his latest on Saturday, in the Guardians’ 14-6 win over the A’s at Sutter Health Park.
“I have nine? Dude, I'm nasty,” Hedges quipped. “No, [Saturday] was cool. That's cool.”
Hedges was at the center of the Guardians’ win. He went 3-for-5 with one home run and two doubles. It was part of a loud day offensively in which Cleveland tallied 14 hits and scored its most runs since June 28, 2023, against Kansas City (also 14).
Hedges’ contributions extended to his fielding, too. He threw out Lawrence Butler with a backpick to first base in the sixth inning, to get the Guardians out of a first-and-third, two-out jam and preserve Cleveland’s one-run lead.
“That's what Hedges does,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He impacts the game behind the plate, and he's impacting it at the plate.”
Let’s start at the plate, where Hedges (who entered the season hitting .185 with a .556 OPS in his career) continues to enjoy a revival offensively. The backstop is hitting .325 with an .864 OPS this season, and got the Guardians on the board Saturday a solo home run.
It was one of three home runs the Guardians hit, along with those from David Fry and Kyle Manzardo.
Hedges’ long ball in the third inning cut the A’s lead to 2-1. He then led off the fifth with a double, which jumpstarted a four-run inning by the Guardians. Steven Kwan drove in Hedges with an RBI single. Angel Martínez followed with another base hit, José Ramirez hit a two-run double and Rhys Hoskins hit a sac fly.
“Sometimes those are the hardest days. You get your hit or your home run out of the way [early], and then you kind of exhale,” Hedges said of his early momentum following the home run. “You look up and you go 1-for-5 with four strikeouts. I stuck with my plan, and I was pumped to be able to take some good swings."
Hedges’ work behind the plate loomed especially large. Matt Festa walked Butler with two outs in the sixth, putting the go-ahead runner on base for Nick Kurtz. The Guardians wanted to be careful with the A’s first baseman.
Festa threw Kurtz a 1-0 four-seamer on the edge of the plate, and Hedges fired a backpick to Hoskins, who tagged Butler out to get out of the inning.
“We don't want to throw very many pitches to him, and that's a big situation," Hedges said. "Just trusted my gut, thought I had an opportunity. It was cool that it worked out.”
Or, as Vogt put it: “That backpick was the play of the game. That killed all the momentum they had going.
Hedges wasn’t done. After a Travis Bazzana walk started the ninth, he hit a 106.7 mph liner to left-center field. Butler slid to corral the ball, and Hedges took off for second. While the Guardians led, 12-6, he recognized how runs can flow easily at this ballpark.
Hedges slid in headfirst safely for a hustle double, then he scored moments later.
Hedges is a team leader inside the Guardians' clubhouse. He has long been renowned for his work behind the plate. This season, he has been one of Cleveland's most pleasant surprises with his all-around contributions.
On Saturday, he loomed large time and time again.
"He was unbelievable," Fry said.