Hal Bagley was brimming with confidence as he took his position behind home plate for Game 2 of the National League Divisional Series. The Braves had won Game 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers, 3–0, behind the pitching of ace Ty Barnwell, and they had the Browning Rifle on the mound for Game 2.
Bagley could tell Tommy had his good stuff. The ball was dancing and exploding in warm-ups. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the Milwaukee bench studying Browning, a collective look of disbelief on their faces.
As so often was the case when a team saw Tommy for the first time, the Brewers were tentative at the plate, taking a lot of pitches.
“They must be hoping he’ll walk them,” Bagley told Showalter between innings. “That ain’t gonna happen.”
From the dugout, Brewers manager Max Shoenst
