The 2024 major league season is off and rolling. The Detroit Tigers kicked off their season on the road against the Chicago White Sox, and they left Guaranteed Rate Field with a 3-0 record and are currently in 1st place in the AL Central. Here is a recap of the first series of the ‘24 season.
Game One:
Game one was played on Friday, March 28th. If you’re a fan of great pitching, you are currently kicking yourself for missing game one, and if you tuned in, you were treated to a fantastic ballgame. Garrett Crochet, who surprised a lot of people by being named the opening day starter, not only proved spring training wasn’t a fluke, but he exceeded expectations. He appeared in 73 games out of the bullpen in his career before making his first career start on Thursday. Crochet pitched six innings, struck out eight batters, did not allow a walk, gave up five hits, and one run, and threw 87 pitches on opening day against the Tigers. He got through the first inning without breaking a sweat against the top of the Tigers’ batting order as he struck out two in a 1-2-3 first inning. He started the second inning the same way he ended the first striking out Mark Canha. Matt Vierling singled with one out but was left stranded. Crochet got beat by a small ball in the third when Javier Baez battled through the boo’s and led off the inning with a single and a stolen base. He would eventually score on Andy Ibanez’s sac-fly, RBI, and that would be the difference in the game with Detroit winning 1-0. Despite the loss on his record, Crochet pretty much solidified his spot in the White Sox’s starting rotation.
Crochet shared his office with Tarik Skubal, and in his first career opening day start, he was as advertised. Skubal is one of the AL Cy Young favorites, and his 2024 Cy Young campaign is off and running after an electric start to the season. He pitched six innings, threw 83 pitches, struck out six, left a goose egg on the scoreboard, allowed only three hits, and did not allow a walk.
Shelby Miller made plenty of mistakes over the middle in his Tigers debut when he entered the game in the 7th, but Miller got away with it and retired Chicago in order. Andrew Chafin, in his second stint with the Tigers, was called upon in the 8th inning, and he too had a 1-2-3 inning. Chafin remained on the mound to begin the 9th with manager AJ Hinch liking the match-up between the veteran lefty and White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Chafin struck out Benintendi, and he ended his outing pitching 1⅓ with two strikeouts and maintained the shutout. Hinch called upon Jason Foley to shut the door and he did just that by striking out Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert putting an exclamation point on the Tigers’ 1-0 win on opening day.
It’s also important to note that Colt Keith made his MLB debut and recorded his first career major league hit on opening day. Keith was 1-4 in his first game with the Tigers.
Game Two:
After a day off on Friday, game two took place on Saturday and it was one of the best games from opening day weekend without a doubt.
Detroit came out swinging in the first inning against Michael Soroka, who has battled back from multiple Achilles tears to get back on a major league mound. Parker Meadows got it started with a triple to lead off the game and was driven home on an RBI single from Spencer Torkelson. It took only two batters to reach the equalizer in runs from the opening to Saturday afternoon’s game. Riley Greene followed it up with a walk, Kerry Carpenter then singled, and the bases were loaded for veteran outfielder Mark Canha. Both Torkelson and Greene would score courtesy of an RBI single from Canha. Carpenter was thrown out at third base in that sequence. Keith grounded out but moved Canha to second base. Canha crept towards third and noticed Soroka was paying no attention to him and was able to beat Martin Maldonado’s throw for a stolen base. Canha, however, was stranded there at third base, putting an end to the Tigers offensive explosion in the first and stopping the bleeding. Detroit took their 3-0 lead into the home half of the 1st inning where Kenta Maeda made his Tigers debut.
Maeda’s debut was highly anticipated; however, it did not go well for the veteran righty. It all started in the 1st inning with Andrew Benintendi sending a leadoff single into right field. Moncada reached on a fielder’s choice and would score after a no-doubt home run to left from Luis Robert, one of the most dangerous hitters in the American League, and he backed up my statement throughout the game.
Chicago entered the bottom of the first inning trailing 3-0 and entered the 2nd inning down by just a run as the Tigers’ advantage was cut down to 3-2. Braden Shewmake was hitless in four at-bats for the Braves in 2023 and wasted no time getting his first career hit this season, and it was a memorable one. Shewmake took Maeda deep to right and over the wall for his first career home run and hit. Shewmake will never forget his White Sox debut. That solo shot tied the game 3-3 in the second inning.
Moncada tripled in the 3rd inning setting up the polarizing Luis Robert with a fantastic opportunity. Robert hit another moonshot to left field, his second two-run home run of the game, and it gave Chicago their first lead of the game, series, and season.
The White Sox carried their lead into the 4th inning and beyond. Chicago would add to their lead in the home half of the 4th inning and did not use conventional methods to do so. Nicky Lopez attempted to swipe second base but it was all part of a bigger plan. While Lopez was thrown out by Carson Kelly, Braden Shewmake, who was at third, bolted home and beat the throw from Javy Baez giving Chicago a 6-3 lead. It would be the last run Kenta Maeda allowed before his first outing as a Tiger came to an end.
Detroit took a slice out of the White Sox’s lead in the 5th inning with veteran addition Mark Canha hitting the Tigers first home run of the season out 378 feet to left field. Canha received the short-lived nickname of “pizza boy” from play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti as the Tigers introduced a new home run celebration.
The new celebration was Torkelson’s idea as the Tigers trade in the Red Wings helmet, stick, puck, and net for a Trident and some Pizza. Canha wasn’t the only Tiger to enjoy the Hot-N-Ready celebration. Riley Greene joined the pizza party in the 7th inning with a blast to left-center field. Greene’s home run made it a 6-5 ballgame.
Carson Kelly came in clutch twice for Detroit on Saturday. He brought home the equalizer with an RBI single later in the 7th, Canha continued to be productive as he scored on Kelly’s base hit. The bottom of the 7th provided the most electric moment of the weekend. Alex Lange struggled immensely throughout the inning. His fastball command was non-existent. He walked Martin Maldonado, Andrew Benintendi, and Luis Robert to load the bases with the game tied 6-6. With no room for mistakes and one out, AJ Hinch called upon Will Vest to work out of the jam, and he did. He got a ground ball to third. McKinstry fielded it on a hop, stepped on the bag for the first out, and delivered a strike to Torkelson, who scooped it up for the inning-ending double play.
The game would go scoreless until the 10th inning. It was Carson Kelly once again coming in clutch with what would end up being a game-winning single up the middle.
Shelby Miller entered the game in the 9th and stayed in for the 10th. He sat down all six batters he faced and shut the door on Chicago by striking out Dominick Fletcher.
The Tigers’ bullpen was once again electric as Alex Faedo, Tyler Holton, Alex Lange, Will Vest, and Shelby Miller combined to pitch 6⅔ scoreless innings en route to a 7-6 Tigers victory.
Game Three:
Sunday afternoon’s series wrap-up featured an intriguing pitching match-up. Jack Flaherty made his Tigers debut, and Erick Fedde was doing the same for the White Sox. Flaherty came to Detroit, hoping their pitching staff would help him return to his former all-star form. Fedde, a former first-round pick, had a terrible early MLB stint, and because of that, he decided to play in the KBO and work himself back to the big leagues. Fedde was phenomenal in the KBO a year ago as he won their version of the Cy Young award as well as the KBO MVP award.
Both pitchers went two scoreless innings before the first run of the game came in the 3rd inning. It was courtesy of Korey Lee, who was making his first start of the season. Lee took a Flaherty fastball that caught too much of the plate deep to left field to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers didn’t wait long to respond as Kerry Carpenter created a pizza party in the 4th inning, taking Fedde deep to right field for a game-tying solo blast. Carpenter now has back-to-back multi-hit games to start the season. He did not start on opening day.
The Tigers took their first lead of the game in the 5th inning, with Jake Rogers joining the pizza party in Detroit’s dugout. Rogers’ first home run of the season gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
Flaherty’s first start as a Tiger was a major success. The veteran right-hander went six innings, threw 87 pitches, struck out seven batters, did not allow a walk, gave up just one run on four hits, and put the game in the hands of the Tigers’ bullpen in the 7th inning.
Andrew Chafin entered the game in the seventh frame. He got Braden Shewmake to pop out, but the following batter was Paul DeJong, and he tied the game with a solo blast of his own.
The game remained tied 2-2 until the 9th inning, but before I show you how the Tigers took the lead, I have to give props to Tyler Holton. He entered the game in the 8th inning against the top of the order and struck out the side. He started the 9th inning and struck out pinch hitter Gavin Sheets. Holton, who had a breakout season last year after being picked up by the Tigers following the Diamondbacks’ decision to designate him for assignment, struck out all four batters he faced setting up Jason Foley to get the save.
AJ Hinch managed the 9th inning flawlessly using his bench to take the lead. Also loved the way he managed the bullpen on Sunday and throughout the series. It was Andy Ibanez pinch-hitting for Parker Meadows with two runners on in the 9th, and Ibanez delivered the game-winning RBI single to left. Detroit won 3-2, and for the first time in franchise history, they won the first three games of a season by just one run. Foley now has two saves on the season.
Detroit will travel to the Big Apple to play a New York Mets team that was just swept by the Brewers and are searching for their first win of the season when the Tigers come to town. It will be Reese Olson pitching on Monday, Casey Mize on Tuesday, and Tarik Skubal on Wednesday right before the Tigers head home for opening day in downtown Detroit.
AL Central Standings:
1. Detroit Tigers 3-0
2. Cleveland Guardians 3-1
3. Minnesota Twins 2-1
4. Kansas City Royals 1-2
5. Chicago White Sox 0-3
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