New York Drops Opener In Detroit As Six Run Lead Disappears

Despite a large amount of offense from the team that dawns the pinstripes as well as an early six run lead for New York they fell short to Detroit in the opening game by a score of 12-11.

Brett Gardner and Didi Gregorius each homered twice as the Yankees inflated their season home run total to 276, briefly setting a new all-time Major League record that was equaled by the Twins later in the evening. Gleyber Torres and Edwin Encarnacion also cleared the fences for the Yanks, who set the previous record with 267 home runs last season. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

Any time you score that many runs, you expect to win the ballgame,” said Gardner, who set a new career high with his 22nd and 23rd homers. “Over the course of the season, you lose games like this, unfortunately. A loss is a loss, it doesn't matter how it happens. You just try to turn the page and do better tomorrow.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

Coming off of a taxing four-game weekend series in Boston in which the Yankees eliminated the Red Sox from contention in the American League East, manager Aaron Boone elected for a “Johnny Wholestaff” bullpen game while offering rest to key regulars like Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

Even without those big thumpers, the Yankees built a 6-0 lead through two innings. That advantage was frittered away after Torres fumbled a feed from Gregorius on a potential double-play ball, with Detroit taking advantage of the extended inning to build a six-run frame against starter Nestor Cortes Jr. and reliever Luis Cessa.”according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

“We just struggled putting hitters away a little bit,” Boone said. “They were able to get a lot of hits. A lot of them came with two strikes. The one inning they got back into it early, we gave them an extra out and gave them an extra base where they added on another run. Not our best game tonight.””according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

Torres restored the lead in the fourth inning with his team-leading 36th homer, his 13th in his past 27 games, and Gregorius slugged a solo shot in the fifth. Christin Stewart homered in the fifth and Detroit pulled ahead with three runs in the sixth. Encarnacion belted a two-run shot in the seventh that tied the game, then Gregorius went back-to-back by clearing the right-field wall. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

Detroit scratched a run off Adam Ottavino in the seventh to tie the game, and Boone turned to Adams in the ninth, hoping to push the game to extra innings. That didn’t happen, as Grayson Greiner laced a one-out double and scored on Mercer’s deciding single to right-center field.”according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

“They have bats just like we do,” Cortes said. “They’re a Major League team. They came out ready to play. They were hungry. It looked like every time they got on base, they were celebrating. They put up a good fight.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

The Gardy party

At age 36 and in the walk year of his contract, Gardner is enjoying one of the better all-around seasons of his career, which he continued by taking starter Edwin Jackson deep in each of the first two innings. It was Gardner’s eighth career multihomer game and his first since July 12, 2018, at Cleveland. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

“For me, it's just a matter of going out there and doing the same thing that I've always done,” Gardner said. “We've obviously got a talented group of young guys on our roster, and for the most part, we always collectively do a good job of going out there, playing the game the right way, playing hard. Tonight things didn't go our way.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

Gardner’s two big swings were a head-scratcher for Greiner, the Tigers’ catcher who marveled at the presence of New York’s offense. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

“It's tough [calling a game against them],” Greiner said. “Heck, Judge, LeMahieu and Voit weren't even in there, [Giancarlo] Stanton. They still have guys one through nine that can leave the yard at any moment.” “according to

Out of arms

Boone’s attempt to steal a win with his “B” squad of relievers fizzled, with Cortes, Cessa, Cory Gearrin and Jonathan Loaisiga all scored upon. With the game tied, Boone went back to his “A” choices, dispatching Ottavino and Zack Britton to pitch the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

By the ninth, though, Boone said that he was out of choices. Tommy Kahnle has been dealing with right wrist tendinitis and was unavailable, and since Boone said that Aroldis Chapman would only enter in a save situation, the call went to Adams over Chad Green (who threw 37 pitches on Sunday at Boston), Ben Heller or Tyler Lyons. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

“It has nothing to do with taking a team lightly or anything,” Boone said. “We didn’t play well tonight and we got beat. I don’t think it has anything to do with who we were playing. That’s what happens in this league when you don’t play well.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-hit-six-homers-but-lose-to-tigers

Meanwhile Detroit was on the other end of the spectrum in the opening game.

Joe Jiménez immediately and firmly pointed foul, looking to calm the crowd as Edwin Encarnacion sent his ninth-inning slider screaming down the left-field line. Catcher Grayson Greiner could see it headed that way, too, but after watching a half-dozen other balls clear the fence Tuesday night, he had to wait a second. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

“It was loud,” Greiner said. “Off the bat, that scared me a little bit.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

The Yankees hit six home runs at Comerica Park. The Tigers had one extra-base hit until the ninth inning but batted around twice, and their 14th single Tuesday night was the game-winner. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

How many did they hit?” asked Jordy Mercer, whose ninth-inning single scoring pinch-runner Willi Castro marked the final lead change in a 12-11 Tigers victory. “So we didn’t beat them at their game. We beat them at our game. It doesn’t matter which way you get them. They get them by the long ball. We get them by throwing a bunch of singles together and scoring runs. At the end of the day, it’s all about who has more runs.”according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

“It was definitely satisfying, though. They’ve got some big boppers over there that can hit them out all over the place. We’ll take our little singles, and if you can score runs, that’s it.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

It marked the Tigers’ third win in four matchups against the Yankees. But after the two teams combined for 11 runs over three early April games in the Bronx, they had 11 runs apiece through seven innings and still needed one more to decide it. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

It wasn’t just the number of runs, but the way they piled up. Back and forth they went, the Yankees landing haymakers, the Tigers peppering with jabs. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

The Tigers were staring at a 6-0 deficit after two innings upon Edwin Jackson's exit, including two Brett Gardner homers, but they assembled a six-run third on six singles. They included a 375-foot line-drive RBI single from Miguel Cabrera off the top of the right-field wall, seemingly out on one replay angle but somehow just shy on another. It counted just as much as Jeimer Candelario's RBI blooper to shallow center in the next at-bat. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

“We obviously jumped out to that early lead, but you've got to give those guys credit,” Gardner said. “They did a good job of swinging the bats, driving the ball in the gaps and made a good comeback." “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

Solo shots from Gleyber Torres in the fourth inning and Didi Gregorius in the fifth put New York back in front before the Tigers charged back ahead with a three-run sixth. Encarnacion and Gregorius hit back-to-back homers in the seventh to pull the Yankees back in front before Mercer walked and scored on a Harold Castro single in the bottom half of the inning to tie it again. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

“They were hungry,” Yankees starter Nestor Cortes Jr. said. “It looked like every time they got on base, they were celebrating. They put up a good fight.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

Not until the eighth inning did both pitching staffs hold down the opposing offenses. Buck Farmer, Detroit’s sixth pitcher of the night, tossed a scoreless top half. Zack Britton, the Yankees’ seventh pitcher, answered. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

“Huge,” said Greiner, who spent most of the evening desperately seeking pitch combinations to hold down New York’s lineup. “If that doesn’t happen, who knows? We might still be playing.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

It marked the second time in as many weeks that a team hit six home runs in a game at Comerica Park on its way to setting a Major League record for home runs in a season, following the Twins’ power surge here Aug. 31. In both cases, the Tigers won. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

“The ball was flying pretty good tonight,” said Christin Stewart, whose fifth-inning solo homer was the Tigers’ lone extra-base hit for eight innings. “It’s kind of wild how it was. I don’t think it was unusual for them to do that, though.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

When Jimenez shook off Encarnacion’s long drive foul to retire the Yankees in order in the ninth, it marked their longest homerless stretch of the night -- eight batters. When Greiner lined a one-out double to the left-field fence off Chance Adams in the bottom half, it provided two badly needed bases. On came Castro to pinch-run, and up came Mercer to end it. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

“I worked back in the count, 2-2, and was trying to see something up and not do too much,” Mercer said. “I know a single wins it.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

Fittingly, Mercer was mobbed rounding first. “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

“You had a lot of people counting us out in this series. You never know,” Mercer said. “With a group of young kids like that, you have to keep battling, clawing, knowing that some good things can happen if you keep playing. That's the crazy thing about baseball: Nobody can predict it.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/tigers/news/tigers-walk-off-on-yankees-in-slugfest

New York and Detroit are supposed to play game two of their three game series on Tuesday night but mother nature might be the deciding factor as to if they get the game in or not.