The game looked all but over in the first inning. The Detroit Tigers pounded Minnesota Twins starter Jose Berrios, as Ian Kinsler homered on his first pitch to left en route to scoring eight runs in the first frame and chasing the rookie before he could record three outs.
But Minnesota fought back. Kurt Suzuki hit a two-run homer in the second inning to give the Twins some life, Miguel Sano homered in the third and Minnesota scored four in the fourth to narrow the lead to 8-7.
“We talk about playing nine innings regardless of circumstances and score,” Twins manager Paul Molitor told the Star Tribune. “And Suzuki got us on the board right away after the eight [runs].”
Plouffe stole third in the fourth, and Tigers manager Brad Ausmus was ejected. Brian Dozier and Molitor appeared on the cusp of ejection after a questionable strike three call on Dozier that ended the seventh inning after the Twins had tied the game up on a J.D. Martinez error where he dropped a routine pop fly.
“I think everyone knows Dozier wants that at-bat back,” Trevor Plouffe, who saw the pitch up close, told the Star Tribune. “He deserves to get it, but it happens sometimes.”
Minnesota wasn’t able to complete the comeback, however, as Nick Castellanos homered off of Pat Dean, who pitched 5.1 innings in relief in only his second major league outing.
J.D. Martinez made up for his error in the bottom of the eighth by hitting a home run off of Ryan Pressly to seal the win at 10-8.
“It’s disappointing; hard way to start,” Molitor told the Pioneer Press. “I’m not big on moral victories but we pecked away and got back to even but then made a couple mistakes late.”
[Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Associated Press]
