Detroit Tigers right-hander Keider Montero dominated in Saturday's game against the New York Yankees. He struck out the best batters in the world, stranded two baserunners in the second inning and made this his final innings look easy.
It was an outstanding performance.
Montero didn't pitch a complete game, but he kept the Yankees from scoring through five-plus innings as part of a 4-0 win in the second of three games in the series. A pair of relievers, led by left-hander Tyler Holton, slammed the door on the Yankees in the final four innings.
The Yankees were limited to four hits and three walks in the shutout.
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The Tigers (60-64) and Yankees are scheduled to play the series finale Sunday night in the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
All four runs from the Tigers scored in the first two innings, off left-hander Carlos Rodón.
With two outs in the first, Justyn-Henry Malloy hit a ground-rule double to left field to set the table for Colt Keith, who smacked a full-count slider into center field for an RBI single and a 1-0 lead.
Keith, a left-handed hitter, continues to prove he can hit left-handed pitching.
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Spencer Torkelson —the 2020 No. 1 overall pick playing his first game since returning from Triple-A Toledo —sparked the Tigers in the second inning, crushing a high-velocity fastball from Rodón into right-center field for a leadoff double.
It was Torkelson's 16th double in 55 games this season.
With two outs, Zach McKinstry delivered an RBI single on a first-pitch fastball from Rodón for a 2-0 advantage. A walk from Matt Vierling kept the inning alive. Andy Ibáñez, a specialist against left-handed pitching, cranked a hanging slider from Rodón to left-center, driving in two runs for a 4-0 lead.
Rodón, a two-time All-Star, allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts across 3⅓ innings, throwing 90 pitches. The Tigers hit his fastball hard.
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Guided by Keider Montero, Tyler Holton
Montero received a standing ovation from the fans.
He walked off the mound after walking the leadoff batter in the sixth inning, but the end-of-outing walk didn't define the 11th appearance of his rookie season. The 24-year-old flashed above-average fastball command and utilized his slider for weak contact.
Montero struck out Aaron Judge in a perfect first inning, worked around two baserunners in the second inning, struck out Juan Soto and won a seven-pitch battle against Judge in the third inning and retired all six batters in the fourth and fifth innings.
In the first, Montero struck out Judge by painting a full-count sinker on the down-and-away corner of the strike zone. In the third, Soto whiffed at a changeup at the bottom of the zone.
Montero surrendered just two hits, though one of those hits — a leadoff single in the third inning —should've been ruled as a fielding error on Ibáñez at second base, as the ball skipped over his glove.
Montero exited after the sixth-inning walk, but Holton cleaned up by taking down Soto (strikeout), Judge (popout) and Austin Wells (groundout). Holton also put zeros on the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth innings for three scoreless innings, throwing 45 pitches.
Right-handed reliever Jason Foley handled the ninth inning, stranding two runners in scoring position. For the final out, Anthony Volpe flew out to the warning track in left field.
First MLB hit for Jace Jung
Third baseman Jace Jung, playing in his second MLB game, collected the first hit of his MLB career with two strikes and two outs in the third inning. He ripped a slider from Rodón, located at the bottom of the strike zone, for a ground-ball single into right field.
He hit the ball with a 104 mph exit velocity.
Jung finished 2-for-4 with two singles, while Torkelson finished 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, a walk and a strikeout in his first MLB game since returning from the Triple-A level.
Contact Evan Petzold atepetzold@freepress.comor follow him@EvanPetzold.
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