MINNEAPOLIS — Detroit Tigers rookie reliever Jason Foley stood on the mound with two outs in the eighth inning. He had entered from the bullpen Sept. 19 for the first high-leverage situation, in the eighth appearance, of his MLB career.
Foley's assignment: Tampa Bay Rays slugger Nelson Cruz.
The 25-year-old tossed back-to-back wild pitches and walked Cruz on five pitches. There were runners on the corners. With Foley struggling to put the ball in the strike zone, catcher Dustin Garneau bailed him out by throwing out pinch-runner Kevin Kiermaier trying to steal second base.