CHICAGO — When the Chicago White Sox got a left-handed reliever warming in the bullpen, Andy Ibáñez was ready, watching, waiting.

Like a predator stalking his prey, Ibáñez had been keyed in on this moment. He’s soft-spoken and imminently friendly, but there is a fire inside. You see his focus in the smallest moments. There he was, in spring training bullpens, the only Detroit Tigers hitter standing in against live pitchers, tracking the ball but never swinging. There he was again in spring games, standing on the dirt above the dugout, visualizing at-bats, trying to zero in on his timing even if he was due up fifth in the upcoming inning.

And there he was Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field, striding to the plate in place of Parker Meadows when the White Sox brought in lefty Tim Hill with two outs in the ninth. A runner was in scoring position, and this was the matchup Ibáñez and the Tigers had been waiting for all day.

“I think he’s looking forward to the lefties coming out and warming up more than anybody in the building,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

Indeed, in the Tigers’ pinch-hit-heavy universe, Ibáñez has come to be the ultimate personification of HinchBall or HarrisBall or anything else you want to call it. Ibáñez did not start Sunday but spent practically the whole game prepping for possible scenarios, dissecting videos, talking with hitting coaches and going through his patented visualization exercises.

“I’ve been preparing for this opportunity since the beginning of the game,” Ibáñez later said through an interpreter. “I know what is my role within the team, and thank God that A.J. gave me the opportunity.”

When the moment finally came, Ibáñez — who had an .819 OPS against left-handers last year — laid off a tough sinker low and another difficult sinker in. On the third pitch of the at-bat, he turned on another sinker and sent the ball rolling hard into left field. Matt Vierling wheeled around third and scored to put the Tigers ahead 3-2 in the ninth. Ibáñez’s single, and the game within the game it represented, was the defining moment in the third of the Tigers’ three-game sweep this weekend in Chicago.

Andy gives us the lead! pic.twitter.com/Ka2jy5mgRe

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) March 31, 2024

“What I love about that is obviously the result, but the discipline to off the ball down below the zone, the ball inside, get into a good count and not miss it,” Hinch said.

The go-ahead single was one thing, but it’s also part of a bigger picture. When Meadows was pinch-hit for, it was no surprise. Beginning last season, players have begun to follow along throughout games, coming to understand their roles and the scenarios in which their manager might make a move. Before the game, Riley Greene was sitting at his locker talking about this chess match. “And A.J. is really good at chess,” Greene said. Last season only four major-league teams had more pinch-hit plate appearances than the Tigers.

Meadows, then, was at the top of the dugout, cheering along as Ibáñez’s hit scorched through the infield.

“I’m rooting for every single one of these guys no matter what, always,” Meadows said. “He was able to come up clutch. It wasn’t surprising at all. He hammers lefties and got us a win.”

For Ibáñez, this moment was further validation. He came to the Tigers in November of 2022, a waiver claim from the Texas Rangers. Scott Harris and the Tigers liked Ibáñez for his bat-to-ball skills and his ability to hit left-handed pitching. At first he went about his work quietly. Ibáñez would go from clubhouse to cage, always with AirPods in his ears, almost always listening to a sermon or religious music. No one was sure how long he’d stick around, but he got his at-bats, did his job, and soon the hits would not stop coming.

Ibáñez had a .293 average and .819 OPS after the start of June last season. He came into this year’s spring training on solid ground but still treated it like an all-out competition. He won a roster spot, in case there was any doubt, and in the third game of the season, this platoon-oriented waiver claim again showed why he’s an X-factor in the current construction of this Tigers team.

Said Hinch:  “A lot to love about Andy, a lot to love about that at-bat.”

The #Tigers are undefeated. Greene is a gift in the corner. Tork got some base knocks. Colt has legs. Foley sinkers unfair. Skubal leg kicks. And Javy being Javy. @CodyStavenhagen & @Kieran_Steckley recap #OpeningDay #RepDetroit https://t.co/a0NnQcykF7

— Turning The Corner Podcast (@TurnCornerPod) March 29, 2024

A few more thoughts from Detroit’s opening series:

• Jack Flaherty’s Tigers’ debut went swimmingly. Flaherty went six innings, struck out seven and allowed only one run. Flaherty’s fastball command was shaky early, but after Korey Lee ambushed Flaherty for a home run on a first-pitch, center-cut fastball, the tenor of Flaherty’s outing changed. He and catcher Jake Rogers started leaning more heavily on Flaherty’s slider, which finished with a CSW% (called strike + whiff rate) of 40 percent.

• Good as Flaherty’s debut was, Kenta Maeda’s first game as a Tiger caused some concern. The line itself was ugly: 3 1/3 innings, seven hits, six earned runs. The stuff itself was more worrisome. Maeda’s four-seam fastball averaged only 88.9 mph, down from 91 mph last season. Maeda also had little feel for his signature splitter and slider, which made his fastball all the more problematic. It’s only one start, but Maeda’s velocity is something to keep an eye on.

• We got the full spectrum of Javier Báez this weekend. In the first game, there was a base knock, a key steal and the Tigers’ lone run, in addition to the back-and-forth with White Sox fans. In Game 2, there was strong defense but also an 0-for-5. In the series finale, Báez went 1-for-4 and twice struck out with runners on base. It is hard not to ride the wave with Báez, and Tigers fans are unlikely to change their minds on him any time soon. But if there is any positive, it’s the fact Báez’s defense, and specifically his throws from a variety of angles, have been on point since the start of the spring. Given his struggles on offense, Báez’s defense is even more key to him remaining a viable player.

“I’ve been very impressed by (his routine), and the results have translated over into the game, where he’s played remarkable defense,” Hinch said. “That routine is gonna stay with him and stay with us. Joey (Cora)’s not gonna let it go away, and Javy is bought in. You get all that together, and we can certainly talk about plus defense.”

• The Tigers bullpen pulled off some incredible performances over the weekend. Jason Foley, Shelby Miller, Andrew Chafin, Tyler Holton, Will Vest and Alex Faedo all thrived. The lone reliever to struggle was Alex Lange, who threw only eight strikes in 23 pitches and walked the bases loaded Saturday. Foley got the save in Games 1 and 3, a sign he could be the early favorite for the lion’s share of ninth-inning chances.

“I honestly thought Lange was gonna throw the ninth,” Foley said after Opening Day. Strikes, though, will dictate how much we see of Lange in leverage.

“When he’s in the strike zone he’s a completely different pitcher,” Hinch said. “That’s not stating anything profound. It’s just facts.”

(Top photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo / Getty Images)