It took 11 innings and a combined 15 pitchers to reach a conclusion for Game 1 of the Detroit Tigers vs. the Seattle Mariners. But in the end, the Tigers came out on top with a 3-2 road win in Seattle.
Both teams remained scoreless through three innings in the defensive battle. Julio Rodriguez broke through in the bottom of the fourth, putting the Mariners on the board with a solo homer. But in the next inning, Mariners starter George Kirby allowed a two-run homer from Kerry Carpenter, pulling the Tigers to a lead in the fifth.
Detroit held that lead for an inning, before Rodriguez struck again with a sixth-inning RBI single that send Randy Arozarena home for the game-tying run.
That 2-2 score held for the next three innings, and through to extras. Andrés Muñoz, Seattle’s All-Star closer, got six straight outs in the ninth and tenth, but the Mariners weren’t able to deliver on offense as Tigers reliever Will Vest makes it difficult.
In the 11th, the Tigers finally capitalized on a key opportunity, with Zach McKinstry’s RBI single getting Spencer Torkelson home for the go-ahead run.
Keider Montero — the seventh reliever for Detroit — held out for the save to give the Tigers a key victory to start the series.
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