On Wednesday, Detroit Tigers infielder Hao-Yu Lee had the game-breaking, three-run home run. On Thursday, it was Lee again with the go-ahead run, with some help from another right-handed slugger.
The Tigers (49-54) beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-3, on Thursday, July 23, in the first of a four-game series at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Catcher Dillon Dingler recorded the go-ahead, two-out RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning off Kansas City reliever Steven Cruz, scoring Lee from second base. Lee, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, reached with one out in the eighth on a clutch single up the middle to give Detroit the go-ahead opportunity.
Dillon. Dingler. pic.twitter.com/yLQTimh2Wo
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 24, 2026
And it wasn't the first comeback
Detroit's offense had to make on Thursday night.
Consecutive singles from Dingler and right fielder Kerry Carpenter to begin the seventh inning put the tying run on base with no one out, but it looked like the the bottom of the Tigers' lineup would fail to capitalize, with first baseman Spencer Torkelson striking out and left fielder Zach McKinstry lining out weakly to shortstop Andrew Velazquez.
But center fielder James Outman flipped the lead on a 2-2 fastball, sending a high shot over the wall in right-field for the go-ahead home run. It was Outman's fourth home run of the season.
that ball is OUT MAN ‼️ pic.twitter.com/vAt4fqck3S
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 24, 2026
Tigers starter Troy Melton pitched five scoreless innings before allowing a two-run home run to left fielder Isaac Collins in the sixth inning, giving the Royals a 2-0 lead. Melton was otherwise effective while pitching out of trouble, walking a season-high four batters but benefitting from solid infield defense to keep the game scoreless early.
Relievers Tyler Holton and Jacob Waguespack got the Tigers through the sixth and seventh innings before righty Drew Anderson allowed the tying run on a Josh Rojas RBI single in the eighth, scoring pinch runner Tyler Tolbert from third base. Reliever Kyle Finnegan got the save on a game-ending double play.
On the mound
Melton has struggled in the first inning of his outings, and Thursday was no exception. Melton loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first, with two of those runners reaching via a walk, quickly putting the second-year pitcher into trouble.
However, Melton struck out second baseman Michael Massey to bring up left fielder Isaac Collins, whose dropped-third strikeout led to a play at the plate with catcher Carter Jensen attempting to score on the play. Dingler then recovered the ball and tossed it to Melton, who made an acrobatic leap to step on home plate while avoiding Jensen for the third out of the inning.
Troy Melton: ATHLETE pic.twitter.com/Cr84DQM6uk
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 23, 2026
Melton has a 3.60 ERA in the first inning of his 10 starts this season and an ERA of 2.00 or below in every other inning. By comparison, the only Tigers starter who entered Thursday with a higher first-inning ERA was Framber Valdez (7.32), with Casey Mize (0.00) and Keider Montero (0.56) sporting the team’s lowest first-inning ERAs.
Two more impressive defensive plays in the second inning, both from Torkelson, allowed Melton to escape a scoreless inning after giving up a leadoff double to third baseman Rojas. His first 1-2-3 inning came in the third, which finished with a strikeout of Royals designated hitter Salvador Perez, while Melton struck out two more batters in a scoreless fourth to bring his total up to five.
With 84 pitches after five, Melton was sent out in the sixth inning with the bottom half of the Royals' order in step. But the big fly from Collins was the final action from Melton, who allowed five hits and two runs through five innings, walking four and striking out five.
Lefty Drew Sommers got his first save opportunity of the season in the ninth, and after striking out Jensen to begin the frame, he allowed a walk to Thomas and a single to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino before exiting the game. But two pitches into his outing, Finnegan finished off the win for Detroit.
At the plate
After reaching on a fielder’s choice with two outs in the first inning, Tigers third baseman Colt Keith advanced to third base on a two-out single from designated hitter Riley Greene, failing to score after a fielder’s choice groundout from Dingler ended the inning.
Keith was the last Tiger in scoring position for several frames.
From the second through sixth innings, the Tigers only managed two hits, both on singles from McKinstry. With Lee on first base following a two-out walk, designated hitter Riley Greene came within a few feet of tying the game in the sixth inning, but his 408-foot blast landed in Royals center fielder Lane Thomas’ glove on the warning track in center field. According to Statcast, it would have been a home run in 18 MLB ballparks.
The next two Tigers hits came in consecutive plate appearances to begin the seventh inning, with Dingler and Carpenter each singling to give the Tigers a chance to go ahead. And after Torkelson and McKinstry failed to bring Dingler in from third base, Outman brought everyone home with his three-run home run.
Next up
The Tigers continue their four-game series with the Royals on Friday, July 24, with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal taking the mound against a Royals pitcher yet to be determined.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' 8th-inning comeback brings 4-3 win over Royals
