Inside the Article:
Nick Maton spent his first two seasons in Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies, and he even helped the team reach the World Series in 2022. During the offseason, Maton was traded to the Detroit Tigers, and it has been a struggle for him at the plate so far in 2022. On Monday, Maton returned to Philadelphia for the Tigers' game against the Phillies, and though he had a memorable night, his team lost.
Nick Maton's huge homecoming not enough as Detroit Tigers fall to Phillies
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola absolutely owned the Tigers as he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. That's when Maton got the Tigers on the board with a 3-run bomb.
“He knows what he's doing, and he doesn't miss very much,” Maton said. “He was trying to expand the zone on us. Veteran pitchers are tough for young squads to zone in and really develop a plan against them. He's a solid pitcher — he has been for a long time — and he was on his game tonight.”
“It's no joke, everybody knows what they're going to throw me,” Maton said. “But I was able to get to it, and I feel like I've been seeing it a lot better over these past couple weeks, as far as the curveballs and the offspeeds. I'll keep on working every single day.”
Unfortunately, despite Maton's bomb, the Tigers fell 8-3 to the Phillies.
A.J. Hinch says Tigers need Maton to get going
It has been a rough season so far at the plate for Maton as he is batting .167 over his first 54 games with the Tigers. Tigers' manager A.J. Hinch told reporters that Maton needs to get going.
“We need him to get going,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Maton. “I think it was emotional for him coming back and seeing a lot of friends and getting his (NL championship) ring. We need him to do exactly what he did tonight. It was a good walk, it was a good homer at an opportune time.”
