Detroit Tigers sink 3-7 against Texas Rangers amid four-run 11th – MLB Update
Jose Valverde failed to read the situation as the Texas Rangers hammered him for four-runs in the 11th inning to snatch a dramatic 7-3 win over Detroit Tigers in the decisive Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday, October
12 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan.
Valverde pitched a perfect tenth inning to keep the Tigers in contention, with the scores level at three-each. However, a loose pitch in the eleventh inning to Josh Hamilton, followed by an intentional walk to Adrian Beltre allowed the Rangers to load two
bases. Mike Napoli drove in a single to give Texas a handy one-run lead and thereafter, Nelson Cruz took over the show.
After hitting the first walk-off Grand Slam in the history of baseball in Game 2 of this series, Cruz lashed a 413-feet three-run home-run down left-field to extend his team’s advantage to four-runs and thus virtually seal the game and the series. With a
lead of 3-1 in the seven-game series, the Rangers are now just one game away from winning the pennant.
Cruz became the first player in the history of Majors to smash two home-runs in the 11th inning on two separate occasions in the same series. As soon as he connected the ball, he lifted his hands towards the skies and joyfully completed the run.
Detroit’s manager Jim Leyland confessed that the team made a tactical mistake in the last inning, but was content that the decision mutual. He said, "It's one of the best baseball games I've ever been involved in. Just didn't come out the right way."
Earlier in the game, Miguel Cabrera drove in a two-run double to left-field to allow Brandon Inge and Ryan Raburn a run each in the third inning and consequently impose a two-run lead over Texas. However, the Rangers produced three runs in the sixth inning
to convert the deficit into a one-run lead and rekindle competition after having lost Game 3. Inge replied strongly for Detroit in the seventh inning, unleashing his arms for a gigantic home-run towards left-field to level the score.
With three-games remaining in the series, the Tigers cannot afford to lose even a single game.
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