Kevin McGonigle delivered in the clutch.
The Detroit Tigers won, 5-4, against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, June 7, in the finale of the three-game series at Comerica Park, with the Tigers winning two of three games.
It ended on McGonigle’s walk-off two-run single – the rookie’s first career MLB walk-off hit.
In the sixth inning, Jahmai Jones – pinch-hitting for Colt Keith against left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer – flew out to strand the bases loaded. In the seventh, Gleyber Torres struck out swinging against left-handed reliever Gabe Speier to strand a runner on third base.
Both Jones and Torres are supposed to thrive against left-handed pitchers.
Thankfully, McGonigle saved the game.
The Tigers (27-39) had two runners in scoring position with two outs after Zach McKinstry’s walk and Wenceel Pérez’s walk earlier in the ninth inning, facing right-handed reliever Andres Muñoz.
That’s when McGonigle ripped an up-and-in 99.2 mph fastball that deflected off the glove of leaping second baseman Cole Young and traveled into right field.
Both runners scored for a walk-off victory.
On the mound
Right-hander Jack Flaherty wasn’t perfect, but kept the Tigers in the game for a second straight start.
The 30-year-old completed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his previous start against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, then he threw five innings of three-run ball with seven strikeouts against the Mariners.
But he has been significantly better over his past two starts, especially in the swing-and-miss and strikeout departments. He had a 5.81 ERA in his first 12 starts, but that has dropped to a 5.31 ERA in 14 starts.
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, when Colt Emerson doubled and came around to score on Cole Young’s single.
Flaherty allowed two more runs for a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning but left fielder Riley Greene and first baseman Spencer Torkelson were somewhat responsible.
It happened on back-to-back hits from Julio Rodríguez and Josh Naylor.
On Rodríguez’s single, Greene misplayed the ball in left field and missed the cutoff man, allowing Rodríguez to take second base. Green was charged with a throwing error.
On Naylor’s double, the ball deflected off Torkelson’s glove, allowing Rodríguez to score.
After that, Flaherty walked Randy Arozarena on seven pitches.
Left-handed reliever Drew Sommers, who replaced Flaherty, came one strike away from stranding the bases loaded to avoid further damage, but an inside sinker hit Emerson on the elbow. The hit-by-pitch resulted in a free run for the Mariners.
The Mariners extended their lead to 4-1 when Arozarena delivered an RBI single against right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan with two outs in the seventh inning.
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At the plate
The first big swing came from McGonigle.
The 21-year-old created damage in the fourth inning, destroying a middle-in slider from right-hander Luis Castillo for a solo home run to left field. He turned on the hanging pitch and pulled it 420 feet with a 109.4 mph exit velocity.
McGonigle has four homers in 63 games.
Aside from that, the Tigers were shut down by Castillo.
Castillo allowed one run on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts across 5⅔ innings, throwing 100 pitches. He exited with two outs and a runner on first base, giving way to Ferrer to secure a favorable matchup with a left-handed reliever against Greene.
The Mariners had the advantage until Ferrer walked Greene and Dillon Dingler to load the bases.
The back-to-back walks created the one of the biggest moment of the game for the Tigers, with Jones (right-handed hitter) pinch-hitting for Keith (left-handed hitter) to get the favorable matchup.
Jones popped out to strand the bases loaded in the sixth inning. He remains hitless since May 26.
The Tigers have Jones on the roster to crush left-handed pitchers, which is something he has a limited track record of doing in the big leagues, but he is hitting just .172 (11-for-64) in 73 plate appearances against lefties in 2026.
It’s a problem the Tigers continue to ignore.
The Tigers responded with two runs for a 4-3 deficit in the seventh inning on three hits in a row from Torkelson (single), McKinstry (single) and Pérez (two-run triple), then the Mariners called Speier out of the bullpen to replace right-handed reliever Cooper Criswell.
Speier slammed the door.
He retired three batters in a row to strand Pérez, keeping the tying run from scoring: Matt Vierling (groundout), McGonigle (flyout) and Torres (strikeout).
In the past two games, Torres is 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in eight trips to the plate.
Next up: Minnesota Twins
Three of the six games on this homestand are complete.
The Tigers have an off day Monday before a three-game series against the division rival Twins (30-37) at Comerica Park, beginning Tuesday (6:40 p.m., Detroit SportsNet). The Tigers’ probable pitchers for the series: right-hander Troy Melton on Tuesday, left-hander Framber Valdez on Wednesday and right-hander Keider Montero on Thursday.
Here’s the big news: The Tigers won’t have to face right-hander Joe Ryan, who owns a 3.07 ERA with 16 walks and 84 strikeouts across 76⅓ innings in 14 starts.
Ryan is the Twins’ best pitcher.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kevin McGonigle keeps Tigers’ June cruising with walk-off to stun Mariners
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
