Cobb Reporter

Mark Bowman

ATLANTA -- As Austin Riley watched his game-tying eighth-inning homer sail over the right-center-field wall during an 8-6 loss to the Rays on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park, his thoughts were with Mike Brumley, his beloved hitting instructor who was killed in an auto accident on Saturday night.

“He was in the back of my mind really all day,” Riley said. “It’s just tough.”

Riley developed a strong bond with Brumley, who was a hitting instructor in the Braves’ system from 2018-21. The two stayed in contact over the years and even worked together earlier this week when the team was in Baltimore.

“There’s very few people who have been models in my baseball career,” Riley said. “My dad is number one, and Mike Brumley has been number two. I feel for his family and his kids and everybody that he was close to.”

Riley was informed of the fatal accident during the early hours of Sunday morning. He was emotional as he prepared for Sunday’s game, and his voice cracked a couple of times as he spoke to media members after the game.

“I talked to him on a regular basis,” Riley said. “It’s going to be tough going forward, just from a mental standpoint. I’m just going to have to pray harder and lean on God. It’s in His hands.”

This has been a challenging season for Riley, who entered Friday hitting .220 with a .618 OPS. He experienced some slow starts while producing three consecutive 30-homer seasons from 2021-23. However, this one lasted longer than most, possibly because it included a two-week absence in May caused by a tight left intercostal muscle.

Riley has leaned on Brumley over the years, so it was no surprise that he met with his trusted instructor in Baltimore this week. The early results also shouldn’t be surprising. The Braves' third baseman went 6-for-10 with three homers and a double during this weekend’s three-game series against the Rays.

His three homers matched the total he had compiled over the 209 at-bats that preceded this series.

“I know [Brumley] and Austin had a great relationship, as did a lot of our guys who came up while he was our hitting coordinator,” Snitker said. “When you hear about [the accident], you just go numb.”

Word about Brumley’s passing spread through the press box about 30 minutes before Sunday’s first pitch. As Riley stood on the field holding his young son during a pregame ceremony, there was reason to wonder how he was feeling.

After the game, he said he hadn’t slept since receiving the horrible news at 2:30 a.m. ET.

“There are only a few guys through a text or through a call that you can relate to and you can pick up on things,” Riley said. “We had that connection.”

Riley’s offensive awakening this weekend could enhance the promise created by Atlanta's lineup while scoring six-plus runs in each of their past four games. This wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary last year but marked an improvement for Atlanta this year since they hadn't scored four-plus runs in four straight games since May 7-11.

When Riley hit his game-tying homer on Sunday, it erased an earlier deficit encountered after Hurston Waldrep (the club’s No. 2 prospect) allowed six runs in just 3⅓ innings before being optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett immediately after the game.

Closer Raisel Iglesias then allowed a game-winning two-run homer to Jose Siri in the ninth inning which squandered Atlanta’s offensive efforts.

Jarred Kelenic homered for the second straight day as Atlanta's new leadoff hitter, and Travis d’Arnaud homered for the first time since April; however, Riley's performance remained particularly encouraging given recent events.

“There were a few things mechanically that were kind of tying me up,” Riley explained regarding his swing adjustments made under Brumley's guidance earlier that week.“You can dissect your swing all you want and pinpoint certain things that aren’t moving right; until you figure out root problems though—you’re more or less just throwing band-aids on it—we were able stay consistent routine-wise which allowed me feel way I wanted."