The Tigers left Yankee Stadium with a sweep, but they had to sweat for every inch of it.
Detroit blew a two-run lead in the ninth, survived a messy finish, and then broke things open in the 11th for a 6-2 win over the Yankees on Wednesday. The comeback in extras came after Camilo Doval walked three batters, including Spencer Torkelson with the bases loaded. Zack McKinstry followed with a single to right that cleared the bases, and when catcher Ali Sanchez tried to get McKinstry at second, his throw sailed into center field.
It was the kind of game that could have spun away from the Tigers for good. Instead, they walked out with a series sweep.
The ninth inning turned chaotic fast. Detroit was two outs from finishing the job in regulation when Amed Rosario launched a one-out homer to left off right-hander Drew Anderson.
Jazz Chisholm, Jr. followed with a single on a ball that deflected off Torkelson at first. Anderson never seemed to lock in on Chisholm, and the runner took second and third without a throw before scoring on a wild pitch.
By then, runners had stolen 13 straight bases off Anderson. Jake Rogers finally stopped that run by throwing out Anthony Volpe for the second out in the ninth.
Even after the collapse, Keider Montero kept the Tigers alive. Working another possibly temporary stint in the bullpen, he got through the 10th by striking out Oswaldo Cabrera and Sanchez to leave the free runner at third. He then finished the 11th to lock down the win.
The late drama nearly buried another strong outing from a Detroit starter. Troy Melton held the Yankees to two hits over 6.1 innings and never allowed more than one runner into scoring position, that coming when Chisholm doubled with two outs in the fourth. It wasn’t Melton’s sharpest work - there were more long counts and bigger misses than usual - but he still kept New York quiet.
That continued a ridiculous run from Tigers starters over the three-game set. Casey Mize threw seven one-hit shutout innings, Tarik Skubal allowed one earned run in six innings, and Melton finished the sweep by blanking the Yankees until the late innings. In all, Detroit’s starters gave up one run with 26 strikeouts and one walk across 20 innings.
The Tigers also gave Melton early support. Rookie Kevin McGonigle crushed a first-pitch curveball from Yankees right-hander Will Warren in the third inning, sending it 422 feet into the bleachers in right-center.
The ball left his bat at 102.5 mph with a 35-degree launch angle. It was McGonigle’s seventh homer.
Warren was solid through five, but he faded in the sixth as his fastball velocity dropped. Detroit took advantage with three quality at-bats. Dillon Dingler singled for his second hit of the game and moved to third on Kerry Carpenter’s single, then Riley Greene brought him home with a sacrifice fly.
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