“Extras Walk-Off”: Tigers use last out-run to beat Yankees in defensive duel of LL Classic | News, Sports, Jobs
Members of the Latin American Region team celebrate a Tigers hit in the 9th inning of Sunday afternoon’s MLB Classic game at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
With another loss in the MLB Little League Classic on Sunday, it seemed as if she had accomplished everything she set out to do, with the New York Yankees leading 1-0 and having an 88 percent chance of winning, according to ESPN.
But just as the seats at Bowman Field began to empty and fans tried to avoid the impending postgame traffic, Detroit did the unthinkable.
With second baseman Colt Keith on second base, third baseman Jace Jung hit a ground ball to left that ran between New York’s defensive lines, bringing Keith home and effectively extending the game.
From there, the Yankees regained the lead with a run in the tenth inning, but Detroit again had an answer. After tying the game on the first at-bat of the bottom of the tenth inning, leadoff batter Parker Meadows hit his third hit of the day, striking out Zach McKinstry to give the Tigers the walk-off victory by a score of 3-2.
“It was an incredible day in every way,” said Detroit manager AJ Hinch about the win and the experience of playing in the Classic. “When they score, we have to try to find a way to scratch and grab them. And that’s exactly what we did. We’re incredibly proud of our group for hanging in there, fighting and getting a win in front of so many kids.”
The Latin America Region team leaves Bowman Field after the MLB Classic game. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
It may not have been the most exciting version of the Classic before those game-ending heroics, but Little Leaguers and fans were still able to witness a battle. Both teams played excellent defense, combining for five scoreless innings to start before a run in the sixth inning ended that trend.
Two uncharacteristic walks by Detroit’s starting pitcher Tarik Skubal put the Yankees in great position and although the team came back with a double play, a wild pitch allowed Gleyber Torres to put the first run on the scoreboard.
“He had a bizarre (sixth) inning with the three walks. Against the top of this order, that is not necessarily unusual,” Hinch said of Skubal’s slip-up. “I thought he held up well when they were battling him at the beginning. And then unfortunately he only allowed one run.”
Despite the run, Skubal managed six innings, allowing just three hits and four walks with five strikeouts. He and the bullpen kept Detroit within striking distance, and it ultimately paid off.
“They really made it difficult for him, messed up a lot of throws and drove up his throw count,” Hinch said of Skubal. “Then he locked himself in.”
The West Region team leaves Bowman Field after the MLB Classic game. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Detroit’s first scoring opportunity came in the fifth inning. After third baseman Jace Jung was given a walk in the third inning, Yankee starting pitcher Marcus Stroman responded by catching two consecutive batters swinging.
But a liner deep into center field nearly prevented Stroman from pitching a seven-inning shutout. With his second hit of the day, Detroit center fielder Parker Meadows hit the game’s first double, and both he and Jung came on to put a run on the scoreboard with a great hit.
Instead, Aaron Judge got the ball to shortstop Anthony Volpe, who passed it to Jose Trevino just before Jung slid safely. And with the score still tied 0-0 at the start of the sixth, the Yankees responded immediately.
Through 26 outs, starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and the New York bullpen held the Tigers in check, yielding five hits without allowing a hit before tying the game. Stroman finished the game with five strikeouts, four hits and two walks in six innings pitched, with Luke Weaver, Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes bringing the team’s strikeout total to ten.
While the botched saves by Holmes and Mark Leiter Jr. drew a lot of attention in the loss, Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn’t complain about it, focusing more on their failure to capitalize on their opportunities on offense.
The Midwest Region team leaves Bowman Field after the MLB Classic game. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
“Of course we couldn’t do much against them, but I think we still made it difficult for them,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the loss. “Overall, they kept us in check this weekend, and that’s what it comes down to. We just had a little bit of a weak weekend offensively, but that’s going to pass.”
It’s difficult to lose like that on any day, especially during the Little League World Series, but that didn’t dampen New Yorkers’ excitement about the event.
“The memories of the experience and of being here are things you try to keep in mind when you get the chance over the course of a long season,” said Boone. “Of course it’s a bit frustrating when you don’t finish it. But that’s part of it. In this business you have to be able to close the chapter and prepare for the big home game.”
With the win, Detroit won the series against the Yankees and improved its season record to 61-64. And with the loss, New York falls to 73-52, losing its second series in two weeks and back in a tie with the Orioles for first place in the AL East, with Baltimore holding the tiebreaker.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone leaves the media area after Sunday afternoon’s MLB Classic game at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter (right) and first baseman Spencer Torkelson watch as a ball hit by Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton lands between them during the ninth inning of Sunday afternoon’s MLB Classic game at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent: Yankees’ Gleyber Torres reaches for the ball in the first inning.
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent: Detroit Tigers third baseman Jace Jung throws a ball to first base for an out in the first inning.
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent: Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge meets with some Little League players before their game against the Detroit Tigers in the MLB Little League Classic at historic Bowman Field on Sunday.
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette correspondent: Fans reach for a baseball thrown by Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge that he caught in the bottom of the eighth inning of the MLB Little League Classic at historic Bowman Field on Sunday.
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent: Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge prepares to toss a ball he just caught to fans after the eighth inning of the MLB Little League Classic at historic Bowman Field on Sunday as they try to get his attention.
MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette correspondent Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Fireworks are set off before Sunday’s MLB Little League Classic game at Bowman Field.
