The Tigers looked to have fumbled away a winnable game with walks, sloppy defense, and poor swings with runners in scoring position. And then just like that they turned things around, playing stellar baseball in the late innings. In the ninth they completed one of the best rallies in recent history to tie the game before Gio Urshela walked it off with a two-run shot in the bottom of the tenth to send Tigers fans home in jubilant fashion.
Coming off a close game last night where the bullpen let a late lead slip away, the Detroit Tigers looked to take advantage of a rookie starter making just his fourth appearance above AA vs their own rookie starter who was coming off back-to-back strong starts. Things didn’t look good as Keider Montero struggled with his command all game and looked more like his first two starts while also being let down by his defense repeatedly. Meanwhile, while the Tigers could not generate much offense against Dodgers lefty Justin Wrobleski.
Keider Montero wasn’t as sharp as he’s been in his last two starts, allowing the leadoff batter to reach in the first three innings. In the first inning, Shohei Ohtani did Ohtani things and led off the game with a triple, and was later driven in on a fielder’s choice where the Tigers tried to turn a double play but Javier Báez bobbled the catch at second. Montero recovered to get out of the inning with only a single run scored. The Tigers went quietly in their half of the inning.
Montero started off the second inning allowing a single, but after a pop-out Montero got out of the inning thanks to a strikeout-throw-out combination. The Tigers did not go quietly in the bottom of the inning. Riley Greene led off with a single and Mark Canha reached on an infield single. With one out, Colt Keith drove a ball up the left-center alley to the wall for a two-run double and gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately, their lead wouldn’t last long.
Montero’s control issues flared ugly in the third as he walked the leadoff batter and wild-pitched him to second. He bounced back briefly to strike out Ohtani with a beautiful curve, but two singles later the bases were loaded. He struck out Andy Pages and looked like he might get out of the jam but he walked the next batter to force in the tying run. The Tigers drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning but couldn’t advance the runner.
After a scoreless 4th inning, Ohtani untied the game with his 200th MLB home run on a line drive to the right-field corner to lead off the fifth. Things went from bad to worse after a walk and double and then a two-out seeing-eye single made it a 5-2 game. The Tigers managed to pull within a run when Ryan Vilade and Andy Ibañez went back to back with solo shots to leadoff the bottom of the fifth. Riley Greene tried to start a two-out rally to tie the game but he was stranded.
Montero was lifted from the game as Joey Wentz came on to start the sixth, but the bullpen was unable to prevent a steady stream of runs as the Dodgers tallied five runs on five hits and three walks vs only a single strikeout over the next four innings and the Tigers found themselves in a 9-4 hole going to the bottom of the ninth with audible chants of “Let’s go Dodgers” echoing through Comerica Park.
[Author’s note: I had this story written as a loss and was putting the finishing touches on it and waiting to publish as soon as the score was final. Silly me.]
At this point, the script completely changed. Wenceel Pérez, Justyn-Henry Malloy led off with singles, and Matt Vierling roped a double down the left-field line to drive in two runs and make it a 9-6 game. Riley Greene and Jake Rogers grounded out and struck out respectively, and it looked like the Tigers rally would fizzle. Carson Kelly hit a bloop single into right field to score Vierling and bring the tying run to the plate in the form of the red-hot Colt Keith.
Keith turned on the first pitch, a cutter high and inside, and unloaded. It clanged off the railing of the RF bleachers for a game-tying home run and just like that, there was a brand new ballgame. Nothing from the first nine innings mattered anymore. Zack McKinstry singled and stole second to set up the go-ahead run, but they weren’t able to bring him home.
Onto extra innings they would go. Will Vest came on to pitch the top of the inning and started things off with a strikeout, snuffing out multiple bunt attempts from Austin Barnes. They intentionally walked Ohtani but then Vest came up and in and hit Teoscar Hernandez in an 0-2 count to load the bases. A big double play was required, and they got it as Freddie Freeman grounded to short for a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
The Tigers were hyped coming off the field after that quick double play turn.
In the bottom of the inning, Pérez successfully laid down the sacrifice bunt to put Vilade at third with one out. Gio Urshella came to the plate, pinch-hitting for Malloy, and on the fourth pitch, turned around a hanging sweeper and put it in the left field seats for a walk-off home run. Whew! What a game.
It was the first time the Tigers have come back from a five-run ninth-inning deficit in eight years, according to the broadcast. It continues a strong series of games from the Tigers, showing resistance and grit no matter the score and grinding to the last out. They will look to close out the first half of the season tomorrow afternoon with a bullpen game and find a way to take the series.