Detroit’s bottom-of-the-order spark and a clutch Wenceel Pérez triple set the stage for Kevin McGonigle’s ninth-inning heroics, securing a gritty comeback victory over the Seattle Mariners.
The young lady wearing the “McGoggles” may have played a role in the comeback win for the Tigers, because the vibes around this team feel completely different than they did just a week ago.
Detroit’s 5-4 walk-off win over Seattle was not a clean game, and it was not one carried by the middle of the order. Kerry Carpenter went hitless, Gleyber Torres went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, and Riley Greene reached base with a walk, but also had a throwing error that helped set up trouble. But what made this one work was the bottom of the order, the bullpen holding the game in place, and Kevin McGonigle giving the Tigers the final swing they needed.
McGonigle had the headline moment, and he earned it. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run in the fourth inning and the two-run walk-off single in the ninth. His fourth homer tied the game at 1-1 after Seattle had scored first, and then his ninth-inning single off Andrés Muñoz brought home Zach McKinstry and Wenceel Pérez to end it. That is a big swing from a young hitter, especially in a spot where Detroit had already burned through a few chances earlier in the game.
But before McGonigle could finish it, Pérez helped give the Tigers a path back into the game.
The seventh inning was the turning point. Spencer Torkelson opened it with a single, McKinstry followed with a single and Pérez drove both of them in with a triple to right. That cut Seattle’s lead from 4-1 to 4-3 and changed the shape of the final two innings. Pérez finished 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI, a walk and a run scored. For a hitter carrying a .178 average, that is the kind of game that can get lost if you only look at the top of the box score, but he was one of the biggest reasons Detroit was still close enough for McGonigle to win it.
The bottom third of the order did the heavy lifting. Torkelson scored after starting the seventh. McKinstry reached twice, scored twice and kept the inning alive. Pérez supplied the loudest swing before the walk-off. In a game where the Tigers went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base, that production from the lower part of the lineup was the difference between another quiet loss and a comeback win.
Jack Flaherty gave Detroit five innings, allowing three runs on six hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. It was not dominant, but it kept the game from getting away. The sixth inning got messy after Julio Rodríguez reached, advanced on Greene’s throwing error and scored on Josh Naylor’s double. Seattle added another run when Colt Emerson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, putting the Tigers down 3-1.
Seattle stretched it to 4-1 in the seventh after Rodríguez walked, stole second, stole third and scored on Randy Arozarena’s single. That could have been the part of the game where Detroit’s offense went quiet again, but the Torkelson, McKinstry and Pérez sequence changed it quickly.
The bullpen also deserves some credit here. Drew Anderson worked around traffic in the eighth and struck out two. Will Vest handled the ninth, and the inning had two important outs on the bases. Josh Naylor was caught stealing, then Dillon Dingler picked off Arozarena at first after a successful Tigers challenge. That kept Seattle from adding on and gave Detroit a one-run game heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Then McKinstry walked. Pérez walked. Matt Vierling moved both runners over with a groundout. That brought up McGonigle with two outs, and he delivered the swing that finished it.
And if the McGoggles are now part of the story, so be it. Baseball has room for weird little symbols when a team starts stacking better games together. The Tigers are off tomorrow before hosting the Twins on Tuesday.
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