Austin Hedges Explains What Was Working for Parker Messick in Near-Historic Outing

Austin Hedges is living up to his four-million-dollar value.

On Thursday, April 16, Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick tossed a beautiful eight innings of action, allowing two hits and two walks, striking out nine batters in the process. Behind home plate, guiding the 25-year-old left-hander was Hedges.

Messick was throwing a no-hitter into the ninth inning, but back-to-back knocks from the Baltimore Orioles led to him being taken out of the game. However, the near-historic performance was still remarkable.

And even though it was such a gut-wrenching moment to witness the chance at history dwindle away, Messick stayed positive when the game concluded.

One of the main reasons he was able to stay so level-headed was Hedges, whose leadership is evident both on the field and in the clubhouse. No matter the moment, no matter the circumstances, no matter the batter in the box in front of him, Hedges has an answer.

He called all the shots on Thursday night, with Messick not questioning him at all and leaning into the veteran guidance.

"Just get to watch the game," Hedges said about what he saw behind home plate. "Pay attention to what hitters are trying to do. They’ve got to have a good plan against him. He’s [Messick] got such good stuff. Executes every pitch. We’ve got, I don’t know, six or seven pitches to work with and throwing every one of them to righties and lefties.

"Hitting’s hard already, but when you’ve got to cover that many pitches, that many changeups, that many shapes executed, you’re going to get nights like tonight."

The Orioles aren't an easy team to beat, especially in the way the Guardians did.

They sport countless strong batters, including power-hitters Gunnar Henderson and Pete Alonso, all while having reliable arms on the mound. While the Guardians weren't able to shut them out, allowing two runs in the ninth inning while Cade Smith attempted to close out the game, the 4-2 win was a sign that Cleveland's pitching staff is continuing to move in the right direction.

The way Hedges called the game for Messick put them in a position to keep the Orioles at bay, with the youngster sending Alonso packing with a strikeout in his opening at-bat.

"We watch the game," Hedges said when asked about why he had Messick throw the pitches he did. "We might throw 100 straight change-ups next Saturday. We might throw a bunch of fastballs away. We might throw only sinkers. For his first few starts, we have a lot of sinkers in the left. He threw zero today...

"I know we’re going to throw probably a first-pitch fastball to start the day, and then they’re going to tell us what to throw. And he’s going to execute it like he always does."

Sometimes, that trust goes a long way as well. With the game of baseball being so mentally driven, being able to know that one of the clubhouse leaders trusts your abilities on the mound can be such a confidence boost.

On the 2026 season, Messick is now a perfect 3-0 through four starts with a 1.05 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. He has also cut down on the batting average against, coming in at a mark of .151.

"I mean, his pace is one of his strengths," he said. "You know, sometimes we’ve got to slow him down a little bit. He works so fast. But I love it. I love it. He gets the ball, gets on the rubber, he’s ready to go, ready to compete. He doesn’t take a pitch off.

"And it’s very rare for a young pitcher like him."

While many questioned the Guardians' decision to bring back Hedges for the 2026 campaign, especially on a deal worth four million, the veteran catcher is proving that he is worth every penny the front office spent on him.

The Guardians are right back in action Friday, April 17, with Hedges out of the lineup. He has likely earned a few days or two rest before returning back to Cleveland's batting look.