DETROIT — Pretty electric night at the old ballpark Saturday.
The largest crowd since July 24, 2019, a lively 31,624, filled Comerica Park for the second game of a doubleheader against the Twins. The Tigers had eked out a 1-0 win in the first game and the teams battled into extra innings in the nightcap.
Miraculously, it ended in the most unlikely walk-off you can imagine.
The Tigers first tied the score in the eighth. With one out, free runner Derek Hill boldly stole third base on Twins lefty closer Taylor Rogers. He scored on a one-out single by Jonathan Schoop.
Then with two outs, Schoop scored from first on a pop up behind second base that fell in. 5-4 Tigers. Doubleheader sweep. Go figure.
The Twins, who had tied the score with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth, aided by a controversial hit-by-pitch and an ill-timed wild pitch.
With the free runner starting on second base, reliever Joe Jimenez, in his second inning of work, got ahead 0-2 on Twins slugger Nelson Cruz. He threw a tailing fastball inside that home plate umpire Greg Gibson ruled nicked Cruz in the arm.
The Tigers took it to review, but, the call was upheld. With two outs, and a 1-1 count on Ryan Jeffers, Jimenez spiked a slider and it bounced by catcher Jake Rogers, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
Rookie Akil Baddoo delivered all three Tigers runs off Twins starter Kenta Maeda with one clutch swing in the second inning — belting a bases-loaded triple into the gap in right-center field.
The Tigers trailed 1-0 and Maeda walked Jeimer Candelario to start the inning. With two outs, Zack Short looped an opposite-field single to right to keep the inning alive. Maeda got two quick strikes on No. 9 hitter Hill and then lost control of a splitter.
Hill never moved, taking it in the arm, loading the bases for Baddoo. And Baddoo made sure Hill’s courage wasn’t in vain. He jumped a 1-0 splitter and produced his American League-leading fifth triple.
Those three runs were more than the Tigers had scored against Maeda in his two previous starts against them combined (two in 11 innings). And they didn’t get another run, or hit, off him or anyone else.
Maeda struck out eight over his five innings of work and set down the final 10 batters he faced. Right-hander Hansel Robles took over and pitched a clean sixth.
Robles started the bottom of the seventh by hitting Eric Haase on the top of his helmet with a 95-mph fastball. Haase appeared to want to stay in the game but Victor Reyes was inserted as a pinch-hitter.
That ended a string of 13 straight outs by the Tigers.
Harold Castro sacrificed Reyes to second. With two outs, Hill lined one to right field but right at Trevor Larnach.
Extra baseball.
With starting pitcher Jose Urena going on the injured list between games with a groin strain, the Tigers rotation has essentially two vacancies. Tyler Alexander put in his application for one of those spots in Game 2 Saturday night.
The left-handed Alexander went 3 1/3 innings and left with a 3-2 lead.
The only damage against him came from the bat of Josh Donaldson, who knocked in the first run with a two-out single and belted his 14th home run of the season, a 413-footer into the left-field seats leading off the fourth.
Alexander threw 48 pitches, the most he’s thrown in an outing since he threw 56 on June 10. Manager AJ Hinch didn’t immediately discuss plans for replacing Urena.
Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez got the Tigers out of the fourth but gave up two seeing-eye singles with one out in the fifth. Right-hander Jose Cisnero entered and allowed a walk and a tying single to Cruz before inducing an inning-ending double-play from Donaldson.
Lefty Derek Holland, who'd been tagged for four runs (three earned) and took the loss in the series finale in Minnesota Sunday, pitched a clean, 11-pitch sixth inning.
Jimenez, who gave up five runs over two games in Minnesota, pitched a scoreless seventh.
