Heading into the top of the 10th inning tied 1-1, it looked like it could be a long night for the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics. Then the Tigers’ bats woke up.
Miguel Cabrera homered in the top of the ninth to tie the game, then the Tigers drove in seven runs in the 10th inning to beat the Athletics 8-4 for their fourth straight win. Jim Leyland won his 1,500th game as a manager in the process.
Unfortunately, giving up only one run didn’t get Rick Porcello his first win of the season. Porcello (0-2) scattered seven hits in six innings, giving up only a David DeJesus third inning RBI single in the scoring department.
Oakland didn’t help itself much in the big 10th inning, committing three errors in the frame. The Tigers managed just three hits in the inning but still piled the runs on.
Alex Avila started things off, reaching on Daric Barton’s throwing error. After reaching third on a sacrifice bunt and an error by Brian Fuentes, Jhonny Peralta and Ryan Raburn walked to load the bases. Brennan Boesch then lined a breaking ball off the wall in right field to score Avila and Peralta.
Cabrera was intentionally walked, but that didn’t help the matter. Victor Martinez hit a run-scoring single to make it 4-1, then Cabrera and Boesch scored on yet another throwing error. Brandon Inge scored Martinez on a fielder’s choice and Avila—who led off the inning—singled home Casper Wells to finish the onslaught.
The game wasn’t over yet. Brayan Villareal gave up three straight hits to start the bottom of the inning, and was then relieved by Joaquin Benoit. Beniot gave up three runs—which were charged to Villarreal—before getting the final out.