The Tigers won their home opener in style.
Welcome back to Comerica Park, BYB friends, as the Tigers celebrated their home opener and tried to break up the four-way 2-4 tie for first in the AL Central. The weather was a bit cool, but despite what MLB TV incorrectly suggested, the game was not postponed due to weather.
Jack Flaherty was on the bump for the Tigers, up against Jonathan Cannon for the White Sox. Flaherty was coming off a very solid outing in Los Angeles against his former teammates, so expectations were high for his performance today.
Flaherty was favoring a slider today, and it was working for him. In the top of the first Miguel Vargas got a leadoff double, but Flaherty recouped quickly, with three outs in a row. Heading into the home half, Kerry Carpenter got a one-out solo home run of the right field foul pole, and while there was some momentary uncertainty about whether it was fair, it was confirmed and Carpenter took his paces.
Riley Greene followed with a single, then Spencer Torkelson walked. But Cannon got the next three outs, so the Tigers would have to settle for one.
Onto the second and Flaherty was motoring with two outs when he gave up a walk to Matt Thaiss. This would, unfortunately, be a walk that haunted, as Brooks Baldwin then doubled deep into left and Dingler was unable to hold onto the ball at home to get the tagout, allowing the White Sox to tie the game. In the bottom of the inning Dillon Dingler was hit by a pitch to lead things off, then Justyn-Henry Malloy got a two-out walk, but both free baserunners were left stranded.
Flaherty turned it around in the top of the third for a nice 1-2-3. In the home half Cannon continued to show that his command wasn’t dialed in as he plunked Torkelson with one out in the inning. Colt Keith walked, and then Zack McKinstry singled to bring Torkelson home, as Tork dodged the catcher to safely score the Tigers’ second run of the game.
While the players might not be able to argue balls and strikes, there is certainly the opportunity to argue an out when the ball was in the dirt, and that kept Dingler from being out. Turned out that was a game changer because Dingler singled, scoring Keith. Tigers up 3-1 at the end of three.
Flaherty allowed a one-out walk in the top of the fourth to Nick Maton. Lenyn Sosa hit what should have been either a double play or a fielder’s choice but ended up being two men safely on as Baez blocked the line drive but then made an awkward toss to Keith that bounced wild and resulted in zero outs. The play was ultimately ruled an error for Baez. The Tigers ended up getting their double play anyway, just on the next batter. In the home half it only took two outs to chase Cannon from the game, and he was replaced by Brandon Eisert who then immediately gave up a home run to Carpenter, who knocked it into the left field bullpen. Greene followed that up with a hustle double. Torkelson then singled to bring Greene home.
Flaherty continued to dominate in the fifth, getting the White Sox three-up-three-down. In the bottom of the inning McKinstry singled, but advanced to second on a throwing error from Lenyn Sosa overthrowing first base. Trey Sweeney then got a one-out triple to score McKinstry. At the end of five, the Tigers were up 6-1.
In the top of the sixth, Flaherty was back out, and gave up a one-out single to Benintendi. After one more out, Flaherty’s day was done, and what an outing it was to welcome the Tigers home. His final line for the day was 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K on 95 pitches. Love to see it.
Tyler Holton came on in relief and got the final out of the inning. Bryse Wilson was the next pitcher out of the White Sox pen, and Riley Greene hit a solo homer with one out. Colt Keith got a two-out double.
Holton continued his work in the top of the seventh, getting three outs in a row to shut down the Sox. In the bottom of the seventh Trey Sweeney got a leadoff walk against Wilson, but the Tigers couldn’t convert the run.
Kenta Maeda came out of the pen for the eighth and gave up a single to Travis Jankowski. Then Luis Robert Jr. got a one-out walk. Maeda pulled it together, though, to end the inning with no harm done. The Tigers went down in order in the bottom of the inning.
It was the ninth, and time for the Tigers to wrap up their first home win of the season. It would be up to Kenta Maeda to shut it down. He gave up a leadoff double to Austin Slater, and then Lenyn Sosa singled to put men at the corners. Korey Lee doubled and Kreidler simply couldn’t locate the ball, which scored Slater and maintained two runners in scoring position. Maeda was done, replaced by Will Vest, which probably should have happened at the top of the inning. A groundout scored Sosa, but at least got an out. Jankowski walked, then another groundout scored Kory Lee. Thankfully the next batter was an out and the Tigers managed to get out of the jam with only minimal damage.
Final: Tigers 7, White Sox 4