Carson Kelly hit a single that brought in a run in the seventh inning, then did it again in the 10th, helping the Detroit Tigers come back to win 7-6 against Luis Robert Jr. and the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Mark Canha and Riley Greene hit home runs for the Tigers, who won their first game 1-0 on opening day Thursday. Parker Meadows, batting first, got on base three times and made a great catch in center field to prevent a home run.
In the 10th inning, with Canha on second base as the automatic runner, Kelly hit a ground ball up the middle against Deivi García (0-1), giving Detroit the lead. Kelly also brought in Canha with a single in the seventh inning, tying the score at 6-6. Shelby Miller (1-0) pitched two perfect innings and got the win.
“We want to play for bigger things. We want to go to the playoffs, and we want to go win,” Kelly said. “To get there, you’ve got to win … these close games, and I think that’s what we’re going to go out and show.”
Robert hit two two-run home runs, and Braden Shewmake also hit a homer for Chicago. They had only three singles in the first game.
Michael Soroka pitched five innings in his White Sox debut, allowing four runs. Robert hit a 449-foot home run in the first inning and another one in the third inning.
Maeda, pitching for Detroit, gave up six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings in his first start. Detroit signed Maeda to a $24 million, two-year contract as a free agent.
“Mechanics seemed a little off,” Maeda said. “I just got to do better next time.” Detroit was losing 6-3 before Canha hit his home run in the fifth inning. Greene’s home run in the seventh set the stage for Kelly’s tying hit.
Chicago had the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning after three walks, but Will Vest got Eloy Jiménez to hit into a double play. First baseman Spencer Torkelson made a good catch on a throw from third baseman Zach McKinstry, ending the inning.
