Oh, it looked bleak for the Detroit Tigers.
Down to their last six outs, losing 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park on Saturday, Sept. 12.
And then? They came roaring back with a wild, stunning comeback – scoring seven runs in the eighth inning off some clutch hits and critical walks – to beat the Rockies, 11-7.
It was a game where it felt like everybody made some kind of contribution for the Tigers. But no one was bigger than Hao-Yu Lee, who had a pair of extra-base hits in the eighth inning alone.
Those Tigers' eighth-inning baserunners came in a flurry: a Lee double, a Gleyber Torres RBI double, a Riley Greene RBI single
and a Max Clark walk. The Rockies bought in closer Jordan Romano to pitch to Spencer Torkelson with the bases loaded and no outs. Torkelson earned a walk, bringing in a run and tying it up, 7-7.
Then, Ben Malgeri earned a walk, bringing in another run and giving the Tigers the lead, 8-7. John Peck lifted a ball to center – a sac fly that brought in Clark for a 9-7 lead.
Lee then came up for the second time in the inning and finished it off, hammering a triple off the wall to knock in two more runs.
Lee stood on third, pumping fist, firing up the entire stadium.
After an amazing comeback.
At the plate: Great production by rookies
Maybe, it shouldn’t come as a surprise anymore when the Tigers youngsters make huge contributions.
Coming into this game, Tigers batters aged 25-years-old or younger had combined to post a .770 OPS this year, the second-best mark in the American League (and the fourth-best mark in the majors behind the Cubs, Royals and Braves), according to TruMedia.
And the Tigers youngsters certainly had some great production in this game.
Kevin McGonigle, who continues to make his case for the American League Rookie of the Year Award, hit a homer (his 17th of the season) in the fourth inning.
But that was just the start for the Tigers rookies. Lee had a triple, two doubles, knocked in three runs and scored two more. Eduardo Valencia, the starting catcher, had three hits and a walk. Clark, the center fielder, had three hits with an RBI. And Brett Callahan, the right fielder, picked up a hit and scored a run.
Another amazing stat: Going back to 1974, this group of 25-or-younger Tigers would have the second-highest OPS of any such Tigers group that accumulated at least 1,500 plate appearances in a season.
On the mound: Andrew Sears gets second start
Rookie left-hander Andrew Sears, called up because right-hander Keider Montero is on paternity leave, got his second start for the Tigers.
"I just think landing his off-speed is going to be really important," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before the game. "He has a dynamic fastball. He has a unique angle. It has good characteristics and he jumps on the hitter quite a bit. What makes that even a more effective pitch is the ability to land the off-speed."
But Sears found himself in a difficult situation in the first inning after he walked catcher Hunter Goodman. Then T.J. Rumfield hit a double. That gave the Rockies and third with two outs. But Sears got out of the jam by striking out Cole Carrig, who swung under a 93-mph fastball.
Sears got into another jam in the third inning when the Rockies put guys on first and third – helped by a hit-by-pitch. The All-Star then worked the count full before jacking a three-run homer, his 38th of the season. It wasn’t a bad pitch. It wasn’t even a strike. It was inside and off the plate, but Goodman was able to power it over the left-field fence.
Sears faced trouble again in the fourth, which started when Jordan Beck singled on a bunt down the third-base line. Then, Adael Amador hit a double to right, driving in Beck.
Sears was pulled in the fifth inning, leaving guys on first and third. Tyler Kinley got him out of the jam with a pair of pop ups.
Sears' final line: 4⅓ innings, five strikeouts with 12 swing and misses.
In the sixth inning, left-hander Drew Sommers came into the game with runners on second and third and two outs. The Tigers brought the infield in and Jake McCarthy slapped a ball into left field, finding a hole to drive in two runs and give the Rockies a 6-4 lead. The Rockies added on in the eighth when Ezequiel Tovar homered off Beau Brieske.
Next up: Jobe nooner
The Tigers' party vs. the Rockies wraps up on Sunday (12:10 p.m., Detroit SportsNet). Right-hander Jackson Jobe (1-2, 4.45) will get the start in the series finale vs. righty Gabriel Hughes (0-7, 5.81). The game starts about 90 minutes earlier than normal to allow for the Lions' season opener on the other side of Brush Street.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers explode for 7 runs in 8th inning vs Rockies in 3rd straight win
