Detroit Tigers on the Wrong End of Historic Comeback by San Diego Padres
The Detroit Tigers were extended an incredible gift by the other teams in the American League wild card race on Tuesday.
Despite not playing themselves, the Tigers gained ground on the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox while putting some more distance between the Seattle Mariners. All four teams suffered losses while Detroit was off.
Heading into Wednesday’s matchup, Game 2 against the San Diego Padres, the Tigers were looking to capitalize on that opportunity. Out of the gate, it looked as if they would.
Detroit would score at least one run in each of the first four innings. Matt Vierling got things started with a solo home run in the first inning, his 16th of the season.
In the second inning, another run came across courtesy of an RBI groundout by Dillon Dingler. An RBI single by Colt Keith knocked in Vierling in the top of the third.
The biggest blow was in the fourth inning, as the Tigers were staked to a 5-0 lead after Trey Sweeney hit a two-run homer off of Yuki Matsui.
Along with the hot bats, Keider Montero was rolling on the mound. The Padres hadn’t scored through three innings, managing only three base runners.
Alas, San Diego finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth when star rookie Jackson Merrill took Montero deep for a three-run homer.
That was the beginning of the end for Montero, who unraveled. He recorded only one out in the fifth inning before being taken out of the game after a Manny Machado single scored two runs to tie the game.
All tied at five, there wouldn’t be any scoring until the 10th inning. That is when Fernando Tatis Jr. came through for the home team, knocking in the game-winning run for a 6-5 victory.
It was a historic comeback by San Diego.
As shared by OptaSTATS on X, they are the first team in the 21st century to have four games in a season in which they trailed by 5+ runs while being shut out only to then shut their opponent out after that, come from behind and win the game.
The @Padres:
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 5, 2024
4/8: down 8-0, won 9-8
5/20: down 5-0, won 6-5
7/30: down 5-0, won 6-5
9/4: down 5-0, won 6-5
No other MLB team in 21st century has had 4 games in a season where they were down 5+ runs & being shut out only to blank their opponent the rest of the way & rally to win pic.twitter.com/oiaB4eSNUH
This is a huge blow to the Tigers, who dropped back to the .500 mark with the loss. It would have been a huge victory for the team had they held on as the Red Sox and Twins both lost, while the Royals and Mariners were victorious.
They close out the series at Petco Park on Thursday night. A win would be huge for Detroit to build some positive momentum heading into a six-game stretch against the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies.
KENNETH TEAPE
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.