Detroit Tigers center fielder Max Clark didn't just take the blame for a fourth-inning defensive mistake. He called it "unacceptable."
"It's almost embarrassing, to be completely honest with you," he said.
Clark was ultimately the hero in the Tigers' 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park on Tuesday, Aug. 25, hitting the go-ahead two-run home run in the fifth inning that gave Detroit all the runs it needed. But he was also arguably the biggest reason the Tigers went down 1-0 in the first place, misplaying a fourth-inning double from catcher Liam Hicks that ultimately led to Tampa Bay's first run of the game.
On a 2-1 fastball from Tigers starter Jackson Jobe, Hicks
laced a line drive into center field that landed in front of Clark, looking like a routine single to move Junior Caminero from first to second. Instead, Clark overran the ball, which took a spinning hop and juked slowly past Clark. The extra few seconds it took for Clark to retrieve the ball allowed Caminero to reach third base and Hicks to reach second, with Caminero eventually scoring on an infield hit from Jonny DeLuca to give the Rays a 1-0 lead.
Clark says he intentionally took a deep angle to the ball preparing for a throw to third base, but that he should have taken a more direct route with the slow-footed Caminero (28th percentile sprint speed per Statcast) likely not taking the extra base on the play.
"Caminero is not going to go first to third, [he's] not an elite runner by any means," he said. "It caught up on me, almost like a golf chip, and it kicked weird left. But I was already well past it. Need to be tight on the angle for sure, and that just can't happen."
It was a mistake, one a big-league outfielder shouldn't be making. But it also could've been the most important play of the night for Clark, and not necessarily in a bad way.
Why A.J. Hinch was "fired ... up" about play
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch doesn't usually shy away from pointing out mistakes, even when they come from rookies. But in this case, Hinch had a different reaction to Clark's mistake.
"It fires me up that he's pissed," he said. "He needs to make that play, but he's not going to give himself any grace. But I think that's the high standard that we need. He understands he made a mistake. He also understands how it impacted Jackson [Jobe]."
Clark owned up to it, saying that Jobe would have pitched five shutout innings ("five shutty" in Clark's words) had it not been for his misplay.
"I cost him two ups and a run," he said, adding that he hopes the official scorer turns Hicks' double into a single and an error, allowing for Jobe's run to be unearned.
That's a remarkable request for a player who has yet to make an error in nearly 200 defensive innings played this season. But Hinch sees this as the attitude of a player who expects better of himself.
"He plays a very fast center field, and he's going to be really good because of that," Hinch said. "[The ball] took a little bit of a side bounce on him, and I still think it was a little unlucky. But if he goes home with a learning lesson, then it makes my job a little easier."
And Clark didn't just make up for his mistake with his words, but also his bat, swatting the biggest hit of the night.
Max Clark's home run powers Tigers over Rays
Believe it or not, Clark almost ran into an out during his go-ahead home run.
With one out and left fielder Javier Báez on first base after a fielder's choice in the fifth inning, Clark sent an 0-1 sweeper into the seats in right field for his first Comerica Park home run. But as he was rounding second base, Clark almost caught up with Báez, narrowly avoiding an even more embarrassing moment than his center-field misplay on his relatively fast trot.
"I completely blacked out," he said. "It was a really cool moment for sure, and I look up and I can see [Báez's] numbers in touching distance, and I started to panic and slow down a little bit."
Clark said it was the fastest he had ever rounded the bases after a home run: "I was just excited. Adrenaline took over, for sure."
FIRST HOME RUN IN COMERICA FOR THE LEAD ‼️ pic.twitter.com/LI85TEUwo9
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 26, 2026
Clark is one of several Tigers rookies who've produced big moments over the past couple months, as Detroit has relied on a steady supply of youth to bolster an injury-plagued roster. Clark understands the challenge of playing in the majors, learning how to play with higher stakes with less than a month of experience.
"We're learning on the fly. There's a ton of nuances to this game. I've already started making swing adjustments that I'm trying to learn on the fly in-game," he said. "We're playing at a level that we've never played at, and it takes maybe 100 [at-bats], 150 to really get that footing down."
And in a game where several rookies made important contributions – Drew Sommers' first MLB win, Hao-Yu Lee's seventh-inning RBI – Clark's home run provided both the exclamation point and the deciding blow in a critical point of the season.
"Pretty exciting moment for him, and obviously for the game," Hinch said. "It was a much-needed win."
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers OF Max Clark erases 'unacceptable' play with clutch home run
