The lack of Adley Rutschman and a struggling Dean Kremer caused some major 2021 vibes this afternoon. Kremer allowed a career-high 11 hits and five runs in five innings, and the Tigers defeated Baltimore 7-4 in the first game of a doubleheader in Detroit.
Jorge Mateo blasted a three-run home run to trim the deficit in the eighth, and Baltimore brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Ryan Mountcastle failed to check his swing at a pitch in the dirt. Detroit added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings to clinch Game 1.