Fastball

Much-Maligned Detroit Tigers Slugger Makes Team History on Saturday

With another home run on Saturday, Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez did something that has never been done before in team history.

Brady Farkas

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (28) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 25.
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (28) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 25. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins on Saturday by a score of 7-2 behind another solid start from All-Star Tarik Skubal. The ace lefty went 7.0 innings, giving up just two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out eight to move to 12-3 on the year with a 2.35 ERA. After earning an All-Star berth, Skubal is also going to receive serious consideration for the American League Cy Young Award.

In addition to Skubal, the Tigers also got valuable contributions in the win from shortstop Javier Baez. The much-maligned slugger hit a home run for the third consecutive game, making some team history in the process.

Per @StatsCentre on social media:

According to @TigersPR Javier Báez is the first player in Tigers history to homer in 3 straight games while hitting 9th in the batting order. The last MLB player to do so was Danny Jansen from May 6-8, 2021.

While the home runs are certainly welcome, it's a sign of how far Baez has fallen that he's hitting ninth in the order. Signed to a massive six-year deal before the 2022 season, Baez is hitting just .181 with four homers and 32 RBI. He's stolen six bases and the 31-year-old has posted a sad .491 OPS.

In the 11th year of his career with the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Tigers, Baez is a lifetime .252 hitter with 179 homers and 623 RBI. He helped the Cubs win the World Series in the 2016 season as well.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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