Damon gets 2,500th hit and walk-off homer as Tigers beat Orioles
Johnny Damon had a memorable night on Tuesday for more reasons than one. First, in the third innings, he hit a grounder under the glove of Julio Lugo. It was like any other hit, except in Damon’s case it was the 2,500th of his career. It puts him along with 91 other players in that category.
But it was his last swing of the bat that was the most satisfying, as he hit an 11th innings home run off of David Hernandez to lift the Detroit Tigers over the Baltimore Orioles 7-5. Austin Jackson was the winning run, having singled earlier in the innings before Damon drove him in.
The hit capped off what was a dramatic game for fans in Detroit. After Carlos Guillen scored in the first to give them an early lead, they fell behind 3-1 in the seventh innings as Nick Markakis hit a two-run shot, scoring Miguel Tejada and chasing Andres Galarraga from the mound after 6 2/3 innings pitched and three earned runs. Markakis drove in yet another run in the top of the eighth innings.
But the Tigers took advantage of Jake Arrieta’s departure from the game after pitching just over six innings to hit up the Orioles’ bullpen. They scored two runs in the eighth innings, before Miguel Cabrera scored a two-run home run for the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and set the stage for Damon’s eventual late-game heroics. Cabrera had a very good game, hitting three for five.
Damon has historic night
Damon talked about his tough season, in which he has thus far hit a modest .271, after the game and said that he was convinced dramatic moments like his walk-off shot would still win him over in the eyes of the fans.
"If I keep hitting walk-off home runs like that they're going to keep loving me," Damon said. "I gave them a taste earlier this season. It's been up and down for me at the plate, but they respect the way I go out and play the game."
Even after 2,500 hits though, there are some that are going to be more memorable than others.
“The ball from my 2,500th hit is going in the trophy case, but No. 2,501 is the one I’m going to remember for a long time,” Damon said. “Hitting a homer in a situation like that never gets old.”
After he reached his milestone, he received a long ovation from the Detroit crowd, which Damon later said touched him since he’s only been there a year. But he was able to repay them in full with his late-night walk-off shot.
Disappointment for Orioles
For the worst team in the major leagues, the blown chance for a win is a bitter pill to swallow. The Orioles are in desperate need of wins, as at present they possess a .301 winning percentage, easily the worst in the big leagues.
"It's a tough loss for us," Arrieta said. "I thought the team fought really well. It just one of those games that was real close that didn't end up going our way."
David Hernandez picked up the loss after Alfredo Simon was unable to complete a multi-innings save effort. The Tigers’ bullpen, usually the best part of their weak team, was feeling tired after playing a long stretch of baseball and was unable to give their team the win.
“We’re not getting wins in bunches right now, so we decided to go for it when we had the chance,” Orioles manager Juan Samuel said. “We thought Alfredo could get five outs, and we thought David had looked strong in his first innings, but that team has a lot of dangerous hitters.”
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