Former Detroit Tiger Curtis Granderson on player buy-in and 2025 team’s potential
Former Tiger Curtis Granderson breaks down how effective managers lead their players and how far the 2025 Detroit Tigers could go this season.
The Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-5, on May 14.The win clinched a series sweep for the Tigers, who lead the American League.Justyn-Henry Malloy drove in the winning run with a two-out pinch-hit single in the ninth inning.
There’s a new frontrunner for MLB’s Catch of the Year.
Two outfielders from the Boston Red Sox teamed up to rob Detroit Tigers slugger Kerry Carpenter of a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu put his glove above the wall, only for the ball to deflect off his glove and land in the glove of center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.
It was a home run — until it wasn’t.
The Tigers should’ve taken the lead on Carpenter’s swing, but they had to wait until the bottom of the ninth, when Justyn-Henry Malloy hit a pinch-hit, walk-off single for a 6-5 win over the Red Sox on May 14 at Comerica Park, sweeping the three-game series.
It was Detroit’s second game in a row with a walk-off hit.
Not only do the Tigers (29-15) have the best record in the American League, but they also own the best record in MLB, a half-game ahead of the New York Mets and one game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts over 6⅓ innings, throwing 95 pitches. He recorded double-digit strikeouts for the 10th time in his career (and for the third time in his past four starts), but he also walked a batter for the first time in 27⅓ innings — going all the way back to April 20.
Three runs scored in the seventh inning — two of them with left-handed reliever Tyler Holton on the mound, though they were charged to Skubal.
In the ninth inning, right-handed reliever Will Vest escaped runners on the corners and no outs when he retired the top three batters in the Red Sox lineup: Jarren Duran lined out, Rafael Devers struck out swinging, and Alex Bregman grounded into a force out.
The heroics from Vest put the Tigers’ offense in the driver’s seat.
Andy Ibáñez drew a leadoff walk from left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman. He stole second, then advanced to third on a throw that catcher Connor Wong airmailed into center.
With two outs, Malloy — a right-handed hitter — pinch-hit for Akil Baddoo to create a more favorable matchup with the flame-throwing Chapman. Malloy smacked a 98.8 mph fastball into center for a walk-off single.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
[ NEW TIGERS NEWSLETTER! Sign up for The Purr-fect Game, a weekly dose of Tigers news, numbers and analysis for Freep subscribers, here. ]
Riley Greene rakes
The Tigers chipped away at Red Sox right-hander Hunter Dobbins for nearly a half-dozen innings without a big swing.
That was, until the sixth inning.
Riley Greene clobbered a middle-middle fastball for a two-run home run — his 10th of the season and 50th of his career. The 24-year-old is on pace for more than 35 homers in his fourth MLB campaign.
The homer put the Tigers ahead, 4-2.
Greene is hitting .274 with an .828 OPS in 42 games.
Riley Greene swims
In the second inning, Greene ripped Dobbins’ curveball at the bottom of the strike zone to the wall in right-center field. He almost certainly should’ve had a triple, but for some reason, he only made it to second base.
With two outs, Trey Sweeney shot a line-drive single into left field — directly at Duran.
Celebrate the Tigers’ 125 epic seasons with a new book!
Third-base coach Joey Cora, celebrating his 60th birthday, wanted Greene to test Duran’s arm. The throw from Duran beat Greene to the plate easily, but Greene pulled his left arm out of the way to avoid the tag while his right arm extended to touch the plate, completing a swim move.
He was ruled safe.
The Red Sox decided not to challenge.
The swim move from Greene — and the aggressive send from Cora — tied the game, 1-1.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
Order your copy of “Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!” by the Free Press at Tigers125.PictorialBook.com.