Jim Adduci, Cool As They Come, Enjoying The Ride In Detroit
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
We could tell you how Jim Adduci learned he was being called up from Triple-A Toledo to the Tigers, but instead we'll set the stage.
It was Saturday night in Allentown, Penn. where the LeHigh Valley IronPigs were playing host to the Toledo Mud Hens. The 31-year-old Adduci, off to a scoring start in Triple-A after spending two seasons in South Korea, was stepping up to the plate.
"I was going up to hit and the manager called me out of the batter's box," Adduci recalled. "I didn't know what was going on so I walked over and he's like, 'Hey, you're going up.'
"I was like, 'What?'
He's like, 'You're going to the big leagues, congrats.'
"I was like, 'OK, alright.'
"So that was the start of it, and then it just got more interesting."
The Mud Hens sent in a pinch hitter for Adduci, who rushed to the clubhouse and packed up his things. He woke up at 4:15 the next morning to catch a 6:20 a.m. flight from Allentown to Chicago, where he was promptly delayed. He didn't make it to Target Field, where the Tigers were scheduled to take on the Twins at 1:10, until 11:45.
Called up to replace the injured JaCoby Jones, Adduci was starting in right field, batting seventh. The Tigers figured he'd want to take some BP beforehand.
"They were like, 'Hey, do you wanna hit?,'" he said.
"And I was like, 'Yeah.'
"They were like, 'You gonna stretch?'
"And I was like, 'Nah. We're just gonna keep going with this, let's just do it.'"
So Adduci took some swings in the cage, dashed back to the clubhouse to change and took the field. Then he stretched.
Not that he needed to -- he was loose enough as it was. In his first big-league appearance since September of 2014, Adduci went 3-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in a 13-4 Tigers win.
"It was great, that's the stuff that's just memorable to me," Adduci told the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket. "In a way it probably fit my personality -- like, you know what, yeah, I'm just gonna show up and play. It kid of fit who I am, just rolling with it, you know?"
Just rolling with it. That's what led Adduci to South Korea in 2015 after his Major League career had stalled out in Texas the year prior. In the KBO League, where each team can have one foreign position player, Adduci signed with the Lotte Giants and quickly became a star. He hit .314 with 28 home runs, 106 RBI and 24 stolen bases in his first season, becoming the first 20-20 player in franchise history.
"It was a great experience. For a guy that is kind of in between Triple-A and the big leagues, it was so cool to almost be the superstar over there," Adduci said.
He also took to the fans, who quickly took to him.
"The crowds are insane, so loud. It's a little bit different from the states," said Adduci, recalling how the Lotte fans created a personalized chant for each player on the team. "Every time I went to hit, and then when I hit, they were chanting my name. On the weekends it would be 20,000 fans screaming your name," Adduci recalled. "It was like a football atmosphere."
Hit, hit, hit, A-ddu-ci, A-ddu-ci! Lotte, Lotte, Lotte, A-ddu-ci, A-ddu-ci!!
Adduci picked up where he left off in 2016, before a failed drug test derailed his season. (He tested positive for oxycodone, which he claimed he was using to treat chronic back pain, just as he had in the U.S.) Still, his performance in the KBO League convinced the Tigers to offer him a minor-league contract this past offseason, and his ensuing performance in Triple-A convinced the team to call him up to replace Jones.
On Tuesday night, Adduci got his first start at Comerica Park. He didn't skip a beat, picking up three more hits, including a double and a triple, in another blowout win for the Tigers. His first hit of the night, an infield single down the third base line (when you're hot, you're hot), came against Mariners starter Felix Hernandez.
"Facing a guy like Felix, I'm like, 'Man, I really respect this guy,'" Adduci said. "But when I get in the box the first thing I think is, "Well, he doesn't know who I am so let's have some fun.' He can have a scouting report, but I've been gone for a couple years, so why not? Let's have some fun, let's compete against him."
After reaching first, Adduci came around to score on a home run by James McCann.
"The best part about this team and the Tigers is they already have guys that drive the bus. They're just asking for guys to take a seat on it," Adduci said. "So I'm just trying to find a seat on the bus, like yesterday. I got on somehow, McCann hit a homer -- alright, cool, we got two runs, you know? Let those guys drive it and I'll just sit."
Through his first two games with the Tigers, Adduci has grabbed hold of the wheel. Who knows how long it will last. Who knows how long he'll last. But thanks to his experience overseas, he knows how to keep his eyes on the road.
"You go over there and you are put in this role of being – it sounds strange – but being, like, Miguel Cabrera. You have to be the guy," Adduci said. "You have to be the guy. So coming back, I just feel like I've been in that role. Yeah, I've had a couple good days here, but that doesn't matter now. It's all about today."
