In the fifth inning Saturday, Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani hit the 200th home run of his MLB career. The milestone homer put the Dodgers ahead of the Detroit Tigers on the scoreboard.
It took a while, but the Tigers picked up some home run magic of their own and scored an incredible five runs in the ninth inning to tie the score, highlighted by rookie Colt Keith’s clutch game-tying home run.
The Tigers defeated the Dodgers 11–9 in 10 innings, playing in front of 40,196 fans in the second game of a three-game series at Comerica Park. Gio Urshela hit a walk-off two-run home run off right-handed reliever Yohan Ramirez to complete the comeback win.
Manager AJ Hinch said, “I don’t know how to properly comment on that game,” except that it’s an amazing feeling to see people happy inside. What a comeback.
The Tigers (46-50) — winners of nine of their last 12 games — have one more game until the All-Star break.
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The historic ninth inning began with three consecutive hits off right-handed reliever Ricky Vanasco: Wencel Pérez’s single, Justin-Henry Malloy’s single and Matt Vierling’s double. Vierling’s double scored two runs and cut the Tigers’ deficit to 9–6.
Riley Green grounded out and Jake Rogers struck out, sending the Tigers into the finals. But Carson Kelly kept the Tigers alive with an RBI single off right-handed reliever Evan Phillips, making the score 9–7.
Then, Keith – a 22-year-old player playing the 85th game of his MLB career – launched Phillips’ first-pitch, up-and-in cutter for a two-run home run into right field. His ninth homer of the season tied the game at 9–9.
Keith has five homers in his last 10 games.
“This is one of the best moments ever,” Keith said. “Playing with the Dodgers was obviously a billion dollar player and we were able to beat them with the guys here. It was fun.”
The Tigers scored their first two runs on Keith’s two-run double in the second inning against left-hander Justin Wrobleski. Keith finished 3-for-4 with four RBI, one walk and one strikeout.
But Keith’s work was not done. In the bottom of the 10th, he turned an incredible double play (with shortstop Zach McKinstry) to strand the bases loaded, completing the play after Will West used his slider to induce a ground ball from Freddy Freeman. Did.
“I couldn’t believe Zach had that ball,” Keith said. “Just before the play started, he said, if it’s up to him, I’ll be out there on second. I told him I’d do it. It worked out perfectly. Bases loaded, that double play. “Being able to get in and get out, it was his scoring, it was one of the best moments I’ve ever had.”
In the 10th inning, the Tigers advanced their free runner from second base to third base on Pérez’s sacrifice bunt, and although Urshela needed only a deep fly ball, he singled to left-center field for a walk-off home run. Cleared the fence.
He hit a right-middle sweeper off Ramírez.
“Wonderful,” Urshela said. “We battled the whole game today. To come from down by five in the ninth – amazing. The whole lineup did something to win this game. Colts, huge homer.”
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Shohei Ohtani’s milestone
A large number of Dodgers fans were in attendance for the second consecutive day.
As a result, there was much jubilation after Ohtani destroyed right-hander Keider Montero’s center-middle changeup for a solo home run in the fifth inning to make the score 3–2.
“I’ll take my hat off to him,” Hinch said, “but I didn’t like Homer.”
Montero, 24, threw 92 pitches, allowing five runs and four walks on seven hits with four strikeouts in five innings. He owns a 5.47 ERA through five games in his MLB career and will be in the starting rotation after the All-Star break.
“I was just trying to give my 100%,” Monteiro said in Spanish through team interpreter Carlos Guillen. “I say this on every outing. I know it wasn’t my best outing ever, but I wanted to compete with the stuff I had at the moment.”
Ohtani put the Dodgers up 1–0 in the first inning when he scored from third base after opening the game with a triple to right field on Montero’s mid-way changeup.
After Montero, the Dodgers scored one run on left-handed reliever Joe Wentz, two runs on right-handed reliever Alex Fedo, and one run on left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin.
Ohtani scored for the third and final time on Freeman’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to increase the Dodgers’ lead to 9–4. Before crossing home plate, he walked five pitches, stole second base and reached third base on Teoscar Hernandez’s single. He completed only twice less than the cycle.
Ohtani has 29 homers and 23 steals in 93 games.
“I feel like he hits three different spots in the order because he’s up every inning, it seems,” Hinch said. “He’s a special player and to be doing it under the biggest spotlight at this venue is pretty incredible.”
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Ryan Vilade’s milestone
A memorable moment came in the fifth inning, when Ryan Vilade hit the first home run of his MLB career. He tagged a cutter from Wrobleski in the bottom of the strike zone to left-center field for a 389-foot solo home run.
His first homer came in his ninth MLB game.
“I didn’t really feel it,” Vilade said. “It’s one of those swings. It was a once-in-a-lifetime swing. I can’t really explain it. It was crazy. I’ve been waiting for that moment for a long time.”
The next batter, Andy Ibanez, hit a middle-in slider for a solo home run to left field. With the homer, Ibáñez continued his success against left-handed pitchers.
Back-to-back solo homers cut the Tigers’ deficit to 5–4 after five innings, only for the Dodgers to respond with four runs over the next three innings against three relievers.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow @EvanPetzold,
Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And check out all of our podcasts and the Daily Voice Briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
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