Detroit Tigers 2012 regular season – MLB Review – Part 6
Detroit Tigers started the 2012 regular season on a very bright note. They hammered the Boston Red Sox in their first home series and continued the good work in series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Jim Leyland and company faltered against the Chicago White Sox in first two games but they ended the series on a strong note to improve their record to 6-3. The Tigers next faced the Kansas City Royals in a three game road series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas
City, Missouri.
"Seriously," Verlander said afterward. "That's what he told me."
"He came in after the eighth and said, 'I feel great,'" Manager Jim Leyland said in a post game interview. "I said, 'Well, it's your game. You're either going to win it or lose it. I'm not taking you out.'"
"That's just the way he is," added Verlander, who used 131 pitches to improve to 14-2 in his career against the Royals. "He's relaxed in a situation where a lot of guys might be panicking. And he might be panicking on the inside, but he doesn't show it."
The match was played on an extremely competitive note as both teams fought for supremacy. Tigers held their nerves and eventually prevailed in a thriller, securing a memorable 3-2 win.
Starting pitcher Justin Verlander produced a masterful performance as he gave up just seven hits and two runs in his first complete game of the season. Striking-out nine batters, Verlander played a big part in deciding the outcome of the clash.
For the Royals, starter Danny Duffy allowed seven hits and three runs in six plus innings, striking-out seven batters. Relief pitchers Aaron Crow and Greg Holland combined to pitch two plus scoreless innings but the night belonged to the Tigers who held
on to their slim lead to claim 1-0 series lead.
Tigers continued their good work in Game 2 of the series as well. Starter Drew Smyly gave up just seven hits and one run in six solid innings to lay the foundations of an impressive Tigers’ victory. Relief pitcher Octavio Dotel, Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde
all pitched with great control and accuracy to restrict the Royals to just one run.
Ramon Santiago made the most of available opportunities early on as he hit a sacrifice fly to right in the second inning to put Tigers on the board. Third baseman Miguel Cabrera singled to centre in the eighth inning to restore Tigers’ one run lead.
Slugger Prince Fielder also made his presence felt as he singled to centre in the eighth to stretch his team’s lead to 3-1. For the Royals, Alex Gordon drove in the only run in the third inning.
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