Jack Flaherty’s historic win and a flawless four-inning save from Enmanuel De Jesus power Detroit to a dominant shutout, signaling a fresh start for the surging club.
Plan the parade route.
For the first time in a full month, the Detroit Tigers have won two games in a row.
The Tigers entered their series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the best team in the American League, with confused looks seemingly filling every face on the bus. Nonetheless, the calendar flipped to June just in time, and Detroit has shown exactly how eager it was to leave May in the rearview mirror.
After an 8-0 rout of the Rays, here are my top three stars of the game.
1st Star: Jack Flaherty
After opening the series and the month with a nail-biting 10-9 victory in Game 1, the Tigers sent Jack Flaherty to the mound hoping some momentum would carry over from Monday's win.
Flaherty entered the game with a jaw-dropping 0-7 record, a season that has featured some of the lowest lows of his career.
Despite possessing some of the best swing-and-miss stuff in baseball this season, Flaherty simply wasn't getting enough of those misses at key moments. Time and time again, he found himself getting punished the second time through opposing lineups. Be that as it may, Flaherty and manager A.J. Hinch clearly had a strong game plan against the top team in the American League.
And it worked.
Flaherty earned his first win in 250 days, dating back to September 10, 2025. He delivered five incredibly strong innings, allowing just five hits while striking out six batters. His command was sensational. While he issued two walks, he battled through every inning and never allowed Tampa Bay to build any momentum.
He finished with eight whiffs, including four on his fastball, across 94 pitches (56 strikes).
The Tigers needed a momentum-shifting performance after Monday's gut-wrenching victory, and Flaherty delivered exactly that. He has now struck out 15 batters over his last two starts, spanning 10.2 innings.
2nd Star: Enmanuel De Jesus
Where would the Tigers be if they had managed to hold onto every lead they've had this season?
About 25 games better than they are right now.
So when Hinch decided to pull Flaherty after five dominant innings, the entire fanbase simultaneously groaned and pulled their hats over their faces. It didn't matter that Detroit held a 5-0 lead at the time. It felt inevitable that the bullpen was destined to blow another game.
But De Jesus had other plans.
Recording one of the longest saves possible in Major League Baseball, De Jesus entered in the sixth inning and didn't leave until the final out was recorded.
The left-hander threw four career-defining innings, striking out four batters while allowing absolutely zero baserunners.
No hits.
No walks.
No drama.
Just four flawless innings to slam the door shut on the best team in the American League.
Perhaps most importantly, Hinch finally didn't try to outsmart himself. He knew the plan, stuck with the plan, and allowed his pitcher to prove his worth.
De Jesus was rewarded with his first save of the season.
3rd Star: Gleyber Torres
The Tigers' lineup looked like it was being assembled with nine puzzle pieces from nine different boxes throughout May. But June is already starting to reveal a much clearer picture as injuries heal and the lineup begins to resemble what Detroit envisioned entering the season.
One of those returning pieces was a notable one: Gleyber Torres.
Torres returned from the injured list hoping to continue the spark that had already begun with Kerry Carpenter's return just two days earlier.
With Torres back in the lineup and rookie phenom Kevin McGonigle receiving a rest day, the odds appeared stacked against Detroit.
Instead, the Tigers dominated.
Powered by an early offensive explosion and dominant pitching throughout the night, Detroit cruised to its second straight victory.
The Tigers launched three home runs on Tuesday night, and it all started in the very first inning.
In his first at-bat since returning from the injured list, Torres watched a pitch sail into the zone and absolutely demolished it over the wall for his third home run of the season. The blast reignited the power surge that Detroit brought with it to Tampa Bay and put on display throughout the evening.
Torres' job was to add fuel to the fire that was ignited Monday night, and he did exactly that in his first trip to the plate.
Riley Greene (6) and Wenceel Pérez (6) also homered as part of a 10-hit performance from the Tigers offense.
The Tigers will look to complete the series sweep Wednesday afternoon against Tampa Bay, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
