The Detroit Tigers did all they could to bring some joy to Motown, completing the series win against the first-place Tampa Bay Rays with a walk-off win on Sunday afternoon. Tarik Skubal started strong for the Tigers, going three innings and striking out six; a strong outing for the young lefty on an innings limit. From there it was a back-and-forth game until the Tigers came to the plate in the eighth inning, down 5-2.
Four straight singles in the eighth led to the Tigers clawing back to within one run, and then Derek Hill provided another spark. Going into extra innings, things looked dire when the Rays took a 7-5 lead in the top of the tenth. Yet, the comeback kitties weren’t done. Down to their last strike, Jeimer Candelario delivered tying the game at seven and setting the stage for another Tigers comeback.
In the eleventh inning, with Niko Goodrum on second due to the new extra-inning rule, Victor Reyes and Akil Baddoo drew walks. After a Jonathan Schoop groundout, Robbie Grossman stepped to the plate and did what he’s done all year long. Robbie worked the count and drew the walk, forcing in the game-winning run and giving the Tigers the series win.
The Tigers next game will be Tuesday, September 14th against the Milaukee Brewers.
