Bailey and the identity not tied to numbers
He's batting .368 in his first postseason, but insists his worth isn't measured by the bat.
Catcher Patrick Bailey tied Game 1 on Monday, October 12, with a 436-foot home run, and Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 7-3, according to Sports Spectrum. His identity that doesn't hang on numbers was shared in March.
The hit came in the seventh inning, against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, and tied the game 2-2. It was his second home run in three games: the previous Thursday, in Game 4 of the Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, a do-or-die matchup, he had connected on another.
Cleveland never trailed again. They added two runs in the eighth, Tampa Bay cut the lead with a one-run homer, and the Guardians responded with three in the ninth for the final 7-3.
«The score changes every night; your affiliation doesn't.»
Bailey said in an on-field interview that the team is having fun and settling in. Game 2 is Tuesday at 8 p.m. (Eastern Time).
From .225 career to .368 in October
In six postseason games, Bailey is batting .368 and leads his team among those with more than two at-bats. It's his first playoffs, and the stat weighs more when you look at the rest of his career: a .225 average.
The Giants selected him in the first round of the 2020 draft out of N.C. State, and he debuted in the Major Leagues in May 2023. He spent three full seasons in San Francisco, won two Gold Gloves (2024 and 2025), and in May of this year was traded to Cleveland. He is 27 years old.
The trap he named himself
In March, two months before the trade, Bailey appeared on the Sports Spectrum podcast. There he shared what he says God has been working on in his heart: "Anything outside of you being My son is not your identity" (Sígueme translation).
Then he was direct: with 40,000 people watching him every night, it's very easy to start seeing your own worth in what you do. He called baseball a gift and a platform to serve Jesus and others. He also acknowledged that it can become an idol, and quickly.
He describes himself as a believer and his Instagram bio shows Matthew 5:14-16. He grew up going to church, but says it was in high school that he began to understand what it means to follow Christ. He has also been seen wearing a shirt that says Jesus Won.
About his hope, he was clear: Jesus already won the battle, death was defeated, He rose on the third day and is with the Father. That's where he wants to place it.
The score changes; your affiliation doesn't
A .368 average can drop with three straight strikeouts. A post with many likes fades in an afternoon. If your identity is riding on that, every night becomes a test and no grade is enough. The score changes every night; your affiliation doesn't.
"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1, ESV). That label isn't signed by a scout or erased by a slump.
Work still matters, and a lot: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23, ESV). Bailey handles an elite pitching staff and is hitting better than ever, but he knows who he plays for.
Before checking how many followers you have today, say out loud whose you are. Share this with someone who is measuring themselves with the wrong ruler. What are you measuring yourself by?
