Gomez goes from waiver-wire fodder to Game 2 star

OAKLAND -- Detroit manager Jim Leyland gave the news to general manager Dave Dombrowski early Wednesday. Hey, the old skipper said, I'm going to play the kid, Alexis Gomez, tonight.

Uh, that's A-L-E-X-I-S. ...

Alexis Gomez connects on his sixth-inning blast. (AP)

It was a moment that was designed back in late August. This was long before the Tigers knew that in a span of about 10 days in late September and early October, they would face their own mortality, reverse course, whack the New York Yankees, blister Oakland in the first two games of the American League Championship Series and position themselves for the most memorable fall since 1984.

This was long before Gomez would go on to crash a two-run homer against Oakland starter Esteban Loaiza and finish with four RBI while leading Detroit to an 8-5 cruise over the A's in Game 2 Wednesday to move them to within two victories of their first World Series since Kirk Gibson was growling and Lou Whitaker was sweet.

It was on Aug 29 when Dombrowski and the Tigers quietly added Gomez to their roster. They made room by sending out Brent Clevlen, a 22-year-old outfielder who was just a bit too raw and a bit too right-handed for their immediate plans.

Just maybe, Dombrowski thought, there might come a time in October when this Gomez kid's left-handed bat and batting-practice power would come in handy.

Rosters froze on Aug. 31 -- any player added after that is not eligible for the postseason -- but Dombrowski didn't.

At least the kid would be eligible down the road in case, well, in case a moment like Wednesday night came available.

"He's got big-time power," Leyland said. "Unfortunately, he showed most of it in batting practice. But, in fact, I guess I can kid about it now -- I told him it's a 5 o'clock game, and that's when you hit most of your home runs normally, so I'm going to play you tonight. He came through pretty big."

Aw, the manager might as well join in the teasing. His players have been doing it for awhile now.

"We call him our 5, 5:30 guy," catcher Pudge Rodriguez said, smiling like a proud father. "He hits home runs in batting practice like Frank Thomas."

Gomez, 28, kicked around Kansas City's farm system from 1997 through 2004 after signing as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Then the Royals put him on waivers, and a Detroit scout named Scott Bream immediately started nagging Dombrowski about the kid.

"He had liked him for a couple of years," Dombrowski said. "He kept on telling us for a couple of years, 'That's a good player. He's got tools. He can run, he's got power.'"