DETROIT — On the night the Tigers honored Miguel Cabrera’s 500th career home run from five days earlier in Toronto, they beat the Blue Jays on a Victor Reyes pinch-hit, inside-the-park homer. Reyes’ eighth-inning dash around the bases decided what had been a pitching duel between Matt Manning and Steven Matz, sending Detroit to a 2-1 win Friday at Comerica Park.
Both Manning and Matz delivered six innings of one-run ball, including a career-high five strikeouts from Manning. He was helped when Derek Hill ran down a Kevin Smith drive to left-center and crashed against the fence to make the catch and end the fourth. But the best bit of Tigers speed was still to come.
Reyes stepped to the plate for Zack Short leading off the eighth and hit a sinking line drive to shallow center field. Jays rookie outfielder Josh Palacios made a diving attempt and fell short, sending Reyes into another gear as the ball bounced and rolled towards the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center. Third-base coach Ramon Santiago waved Reyes around as right fielder Corey Dickerson retrieved the ball and threw to Marcus Semien, whose relay throw sailed wide as Reyes slid head-first into home.
It was the Tigers’ second inside-the-park home run this season, following Eric Haase’s drive to straightaway center off White Sox lefty Dallas Keuchel on July 3. And it’s just Detroit’s second pinch-hit inside-the-parker, also accomplished by Ben Oglivie in 1976.