Tigers get early jump on Yankees, cruise to victory in opener
· Yahoo Sports
New York – Well, that was refreshing.
After losing back-to-back, late-inning, spirit-sucking games to the Astros at Comerica Park over the weekend, the Tigers unleashed some pent-up aggression on the New York Yankees Monday night in the Bronx.
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Aided by a couple of costly errors, the Tigers scored seven runs in the first four innings and enjoyed a relatively comfortable 7-3 victory in the first of three at Yankee Stadium.
Before we get to the offense, give the first game ball to Casey Mize. He was brilliant, allowing one hit with a career-high tying 10 strikeouts through seven innings, lowering his ERA to 2.63.
He had precise command of all his pitches and was keeping Yankees’ hitters off-balance with a heady blend of sliders (both the slower one and the tighter one) and splitters, which he threw off his 93-mph four-seam fastball and sinker.
The only smudge on his ledger was a third-inning double by Spencer Jones. He was the only base runner, the only time he worked out of the stretch.
Mize struck out five of the last six hitters he faced.
As for the offense:
The top of the Tigers’ batting order – which for the first time this season did not include Riley Greene, who was given the start off by manager AJ Hinch against Yankees’ lefty starter Ryan Weathers – did most of the damage.
Hao-Yu Lee, who came in hitting .355 this month, doubled in the first inning and rapped a two-out, two-run single in the second.
Kevin McGonigle had two hits, scored a run and knocked in two.
Dillon Dingler doubled and scored on two-out single by Spencer Torkelson in the first. He also knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly and keyed a two-run fourth when left-fielder Cody Bellinger dropped his fly ball at the wall in left.
Matt Vierling had a hit, was safe on an error, scored twice and had an RBI. Zach McKinstry also had two singles and scored a run.
Five of the seven runs were unearned, but the Tigers collected 11 hits, knocked Weathers out in the second inning and forced the Yankees to use six relievers.
The three Yankees’ runs came on one swing. Amed Rosario hit a three-run, pinch-hit homer off lefty reliever Drew Sommers in the eighth inning.
Yankees’ second baseman Jazz Chisholm, Jr., exited the game in the fourth inning after colliding with right-fielder Jasson Dominguez on a fly ball in shallow right. The Yankees announced he was in concussion protocol.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers get early jump on Yankees, cruise to victory in opener