DETROIT, MI (WKZO-AM/FM) – After further review, Javier Baez’s off-the-wall single drove in Austin Meadows for the walk-off winner as the Tigers edged the defending American League Central champion White Sox 5-4 on Opening Day at Comerica Park.
It initially appeared that right fielder AJ Pollock caught Baez’s line drive right at the right field fence and that the game would go into extra innings. A video replay review showed that Pollock had the ball, but it bounced off his glove, hit the wall, then came back to his glove, thus overturning the call on the field. Meadows got on board on a two-out triple, one batter after Eric Haase tied the game on a solo homer.
The White Sox scored three early runs off Detroit starter Eduardo Rodriguez, but the Tigers inched back thanks to a 6th inning RBI single by Jeimer Candelario that drove in Robbie Grossman and a 2-RBI single in the 8th by Miguel Cabrera that brought home Grossman and Meadows and knotted the game at 3-3.
Gregory Soto got the win in relief despite giving up a tie-breaking solo homer to Andrew Vaughn in the top of the 9th. Liam Hendricks was the losing pitcher for the Sox.
This afternoon’s pitching matchup will feature Casey Mize for the Tigers against Dylan Cease for Chicago.
