Tigers Blow Game vs. Twins on Mistake-Riddled Final Play

Detroit’s two major errors allowed Minnesota to have two players run across home plate and secure the win.

The Twins were able to secure a win Tuesday night with one of the most bizarre walk-offs you’ll ever see, as the Tigers committed a couple of stunning mistakes on the final play to hand their division rivals a 5–4 victory.

Minnesota’s Miguel Sanó stepped up to play with a runner on first and second base and one out. He hit a line drive to right field straight to outfielder Robbie Grossman. It looked like it would be caught.

However, this is when the Tigers’ train wreck began. Grossman missed the ball as it went slightly over his glove. Grossman was able to throw the ball back to catcher Eric Haase before any Twins runners made it to home plate. At that point, the bases were loaded.

Then, Sanó tried pushing the runners in front of him to continue going as he ran toward second base, causing Minnesota’s Gio Urshela to run toward third, which Trevor Larnach was already occupying. Haase could have taken advantage of the baserunning miscue and induced a multi-runner pickle, but he sailed the ball over third baseman Jeimer Candelario’s head into left field. 

Larnach scored, followed closely by Urshela, and just like that, the game was over. 

With the win, the Twins (9–8) stayed atop the AL Central, while the Tigers fell to 6–10 on one of the more deflating losses you’ll see this season.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.