August Baseball at Victory Field Highlighted MVP’s Career 

Only four times in history has an up-and-coming player made their way through Indianapolis and been named a two-time MVP for the Indians. But for Matt Hague, the fourth and most recent to claim the feat, that’s not what he remembers most about his four years in the Circle City.

“The first thing is Victory Field, how great the stadium is to play in,” Hague said. “The fans, you go around the league, attendance-wise, and just overall ballpark atmosphere on weekends and in the summer, you felt like you were playing in the big leagues a little bit.”

The right-handed slugger, Indy’s everyday first baseman for the majority of his four seasons in the Circle City, made his Triple-A debut at Victory Field on April 7, 2011 – Opening Day of the Minor League Baseball season. He went 1-for-4, nothing too special, but through the course of that season his name slowly etched itself into the history books.

On the field, Hague excelled in Indianapolis. His first season culminated in a team-leading .309 batting average, 37 doubles, 244 total bases and 70 runs, plus an International League-best 165 hits. He was named an IL All-Star at both the midpoint and end of season and earned his first Indianapolis Team MVP award with the campaign.

As his batting statistics rose over that season, so did his fan-favorite status all the way from those in the seats to those in the front office.

“You got to know everybody there, and everybody was extremely friendly,” Hague said. “You see everybody working on the field and the backdrop of Indianapolis there in the outfield is one of the most scenic backgrounds in the whole league. It makes you appreciate how much they value baseball in Indianapolis.”

That feeling led Hague to making Indianapolis his year-round home and sticking around meant that he stood out in the community even more. When he moved his home base from Seattle to Indy, he brought his kids’ hitting clinics with him and would offer those in the offseason. For a guy that, according to a 2014 program feature, paced Victory Field era records in games played (374), at-bats (1,437), hits (422), doubles (87), RBI (198), walks (144) and total bases (591) by the end of his third year with the Indians, saying that he stood out more off the diamond holds some weight.

It wasn’t just individual success, either. Through the four years Hague was a staple member of the Indians (2011-14), the team never finished lower than second in the division and was always in the postseason hunt.

Although Hague’s first Team MVP campaign didn’t send the Indians to the playoffs, it earned him a spot in Pittsburgh to open the 2012 campaign, making his MLB debut exactly one year after first stepping onto the Victory Field grass. His performance in Triple-A the year prior didn’t transfer to his 30 games in the majors that season, and after ending 2012 in the Governors’ Cup semifinals, he returned to Indianapolis in 2013.

2013 would mark the first time since 1988-89 that the Indians took home consecutive division titles (Indy won back-to-back league pennants in 1994-95 when the American Association was non-divisional), and the first time in the International League. Just like in 2011, Hague played a big part in that success.

“I think just playing competitive baseball late in the season, I think that’s an excitement that we almost got used to, just having that experience and getting used to pushing for the playoffs every year,” Hague said. “That’s a memory and experience I’ll never forget; a lot of players don’t ever get that.”

He began the 2013 season hot, hitting .302 through the end of May and earning himself an IL Player of the Week honor after hitting three doubles on May 21 to tie a Victory Field era single-game record. Those doubles added up over the course of the season, and just like in 2011, Hague ended with 37 two-baggers on 153 hits, both league-leading marks, and paced the Indians with 69 RBI, 218 total bases, 67 runs scored and 71 walks.

Being in the playoff hunt for those first three years and the success he had in the Indians lineup is something Hague attests to those who were around them. Dean Treanor, who owns the third-most managerial wins in franchise history (471) and hitting coach Mike Pagliarulo (2013-14), were two key members of Hague’s development.

“I have always given a lot of credit to Pagliarulo,” Hague said. “He helped me in so many ways to help me figure out and evolve my swing, both mechanically and mentally. He was such a good offensive mind to be around and learn from in a time where, as a player, I felt I was stagnant in my development.”

In fact, when asked what his historic pair of Team MVP awards in Indianapolis meant to him, he credited everyone but himself.

“I value that honor greatly, but I believe it’s a reflection of a lot of things,” Hague said. “The Pirates continued to believe in me and gave me constant at-bats, and my family and faith provided me with a thriving environment that allowed me to mentally be in a good spot.”

Now, Hague has taken the experiences from his playing days back to the diamond. Thanks to a stint with Toronto after the Pirates designated him for assignment during the 2014 season, in March 2021 he was named the hitting coach for the Blue Jays Double-A affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

As the 2021 season gets underway on Hague’s first professional coaching season, it marks another milestone in downtown Indianapolis. In the early weeks after kicking off a yearlong, 25th anniversary celebration of Victory Field, the Indians announced that Matt Hague came in at No. 22 on their All-Time 25 Victory Field era roster. Ten years after Hague first played in a place he would soon call home, he was rightfully named one of the best to ever play at the corner of West and Maryland St.