The game turned on a walk-off finish. Eduardo Valencia's homer in the ninth gave the Detroit Tigers a comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates after Pittsburgh had carried the lead into the final inning.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| DET | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Justin Verlander kept Detroit within reach with a strong start, striking out six while allowing two earned runs. Jacob Waguespack followed with scoreless relief, and Detroit's bullpen preserved the opportunity for a final-inning rally.
The Pirates opened the scoring in the fourth when Brandon Lowe homered, then extended the lead in the fifth on Jacob Gonzalez's homer. Javier Báez's double brought Spencer Torkelson home in the sixth, and Bryan Reynolds' triple scored Henry Davis in the eighth. In the ninth, Kevin McGonigle's groundout brought Max Clark across, before Eduardo Valencia homered with Hao Yu Lee scoring to put Detroit ahead.
Pittsburgh's bullpen had protected the lead until Mason Montgomery entered in the ninth. Montgomery was charged with the loss after Detroit's rally, while the Pirates' earlier power and Bryan Reynolds' extra-base hit were not enough to withstand the late turn.
Detroit extended its winning streak, while Pittsburgh's losing streak continued. The walk-off finish gave the Tigers a game shaped by patience, pressure and one final swing.
Detroit Tigers defeated Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3.
- Eduardo Valencia went 1-for-5 with 1 home run, 2 RBIs and 1 run scored (batting .344 on the season).
- (gpid=sa:694378) went 1-for-2 with 1 home run, 1 RBI and 1 run scored (batting .223 on the season).
- Brandon Lowe went 1-for-4 with 1 home run, 1 RBI and 1 run scored (batting .260 on the season).
- Jacob Waguespack allowed 0 runs on 2 hits over 1.1 innings, striking out 2, to earn the win (2-2) (2.49 ERA).
- Mason Montgomery allowed 3 runs on 3 hits over 0.2 innings, striking out 1, and took the loss (6-4) (2.93 ERA).
- Carmen Mlodzinski allowed 1 run on 1 hit over 2.1 innings, striking out 5 (3.95 ERA).
Detroit Tigers improved to 76-85 (2 straight wins); Pittsburgh Pirates fell to 81-80 (2 straight losses).