There was no television broadcast and no easy way for fans to follow every pitch, but the Tigers and Orioles still managed to deliver plenty of storylines Sunday afternoon, playing to a 4–4 tie in Detroit’s second Grapefruit League game of the spring.
The box score told the story of a typical ho-hum of a game, veterans getting early work, prospects rotating in quickly, and momentum swings nearly every inning, but Detroit showed some early fight and a late push to avoid a loss.
Baltimore struck first in the opening inning when Heston Kjerstad lifted a solo home run to right-center off Jack Flaherty, giving the Orioles a 1–0 lead. The Tigers’ offense, meanwhile, opened quietly with three quick groundouts in the first, a reminder that timing at the plate often comes slowly in late February.
The Orioles added pressure in the second after a defensive miscue helped extend the inning. Samuel Basallo doubled and advanced to third on a fielding error by center fielder Parker Meadows, later scoring on Reed Trimble’s RBI single to make it 2–0 Baltimore.
Detroit answered immediately in the bottom half. Spencer Torkelson opened the inning with a double and the Tigers loaded the bases before Max Anderson delivered the first big swing of the afternoon, lining a two-run single to center to tie the game at 2–2. It was one of the more encouraging moments for Detroit’s young hitters, with Anderson showing quick hands and an ability to stay through the middle of the field.
The tie didn’t last long. Pete Alonso launched a solo homer to left-center in the third inning, briefly putting the Orioles back in front. But Austin Slater responded for Detroit in the bottom half, turning on a pitch and sending it out to right field for a game-tying solo shot of his own.
From there, the game settled into a steady parade of pitching changes and defensive substitutions, typical of early Grapefruit League action. Baltimore regained the lead in the fourth when José Barrero lined a run-scoring double to left, though Detroit limited further damage with a strong relay throw from Slater through Zach McKinstry to catcher Tomás Nido to cut down an additional run at the plate.
The middle innings featured a mix of clean defense and missed opportunities on both sides. Detroit’s bullpen cycled through multiple arms, including Bryan Sammons, Sean Guenther and Tyler Mattison, each working scoreless stretches.
Detroit nearly tied the game in the eighth when Corey Julks doubled with one out, but the rally stalled after Kevin McGonigle, appearing as a pinch-hitter, struck out in his lone plate appearance.
The Tigers finally broke through in the ninth. John Peck worked a walk and advanced on a wild pitch before Josue Briceño moved him to third with a fly ball. With two outs, Max Clark came through, lining a single to left that scored Peck and tied the game at 4–4, giving Detroit one final highlight to close the afternoon. The single came off Clark's former Double-A Erie teammate, lefty Andrew Mango.
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