Well, that turned into a whole lot more drama than anybody wanted in the ninth inning.
The Detroit Tigers looked like they had this one wrapped up, then suddenly the Royals had the tying run all the way over at third with two outs. Comerica got tight. Kenley Jansen did not. He pitched out of it, shut the door, and the Tigers walked off the field with a 2-1 win and their fifth straight victory.
In a lot of ways, this game felt like a carbon copy of the night before.
Another tight game. Another excellent pitching matchup. Another night where runs were hard to come by. Another late breakthrough. Another Tigers win.
Jack Flaherty Looked Like Himself Again
This was a big one for Jack Flaherty.
Not because he threw a shutout. Not because he had some absurd strikeout total. It was big because he looked strong, in control, and steady again.
The fastball had life, sitting in the 93-94 range most of the night. The slider was sharp. The off-speed mix played. And even when there was that one inning where things started to wobble a little, he did not let the whole outing get away from him.
That is what made this performance so encouraging.
Last year, it often felt like you knew right away which version of Flaherty had shown up. Either he had it, or the whole thing could unravel in a hurry. Lately, it has looked different. There has still been that one inning where the pressure shows up, but he is fighting through it, keeping the damage small, and giving this team a real chance to win.
That is exactly what he did Friday night.
Six innings. One run. Good fastball. Good slider. Good tempo. A veteran outing in a game that demanded one.
Another Night of Big-Time Pitching
Seth Lugo was no picnic on the other side either.
The guy throws everything. He changes speeds. He changes looks. He knows exactly how to make hitters uncomfortable, and he did it again Friday night. The Tigers had to work for everything they got.
That is part of what made this win feel so good.
Detroit did not beat up on some soft part of the schedule here. These last two wins came against good pitching, and the Tigers still found a way to grind through late and take both games.
The Pretzel Man Is Back
Then came the swing everybody will remember.
Bottom of the eighth. Tie game. Eli Morgan on the mound. Wenceel Pérez at the plate.
The Pretzel Man had nothing to show for himself yet this season. No hits. No RBI. No home runs.
Then all at once, he had all three.
Pérez launched one out for his first hit of the year, his first RBI of the year, and his first homer of the year, and it could not have come at a better time. Comerica woke up. The dugout woke up. The whole ballpark felt it.
That swing pushed the Tigers to their fifth straight win and gave this home stand another moment that people are going to remember.
Javier Báez Made a Play Only Javier Báez Makes
There was another huge moment in this game, and it had Javier Báez written all over it.
His slide was ridiculous.
Not just because he got in safe, but because of the way he did it. He slowed the whole play down, read where the tag was coming, lifted his hand at the perfect moment, and found a way around it. That is the kind of play that reminds everybody why Báez can still leave you shaking your head.
He can frustrate you, no question. Tigers fans know that better than anybody. But every once in a while, he does something on a baseball field that almost nobody else can do, and that was one of those moments.
That run mattered. In a game this tight, it mattered a lot.
This Team Is Winning With Pitching and Late-Game Nerve
The Tigers have scored four runs total over the last two nights. That is not exactly an offensive explosion.
And yet here they are, stacking wins anyway.
That is because this team is pitching its tail off right now. That is because the bullpen is giving people confidence. That is because once this game gets into the later innings, Detroit suddenly looks like the team in control.
Tyler Holton. Kyle Finnegan. Kenley Jansen. A.J. Hinch playing the matchups. There is a real calm to the way the Tigers are handling these close games late, and you can feel it.
That has been one of the biggest stories of this home stand.
Final Thoughts
Five straight wins.
A 5-0 home stand so far.
A chance to finish it off perfectly and climb back over .500 before a long road trip.
You could not have asked for much more than this.
The Tigers are pitching beautifully, getting timely hits, making the little plays that decide close games, and giving their fans a reason to believe every night right now.
Friday night was tense. It was tight. It was another grind.
And by the end of it, it was another Tigers win.
