BOSTON – It doesn’t matter how they did it. It matters that they did it.
Spencer Turnbull was wild but didn’t allow any runs, the Detroit Tigers’ offense missed opportunities but not the big hit, and their bullpen did just enough to sweep the defending World Series champions in a doubleheader at Fenway Park.
In the nightcap, they won, 4-2, thanks to another unlikely contributor.
This time, it was Brandon Dixon, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo over the weekend and hit a three-run double into the left field corner.
Despite Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire needing to call on nearly every reliever in his bullpen – a couple of whom pitched in the first game, a couple others who arrived sometime after the game – Dixon’s double stood as the game-winner and the Tigers won both games.