The Detroit Tigers got their first run at extra innings since Major League Baseball changed the rules for the short 2020 season.
The Tigers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 17-13 in 11 innings on Friday night, scoring one run in the 10th and four in the 11th and discovering that late game strategies are different if you get a free runner on second base.
“You’re just trying to find a way to get that approach,” said Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire.
It was the Tigers’ Dawel Lugo who landed a ball in the right field, which sent JaCoby Jones (who was already waiting for second base) sprinting around the third and sliding home around it. team to give his first run in extra innings.
MLB introduced the new rule prior to the 60-game season in an attempt to limit the number of marathon games in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rule stipulates that the occupier who made the final in the previous inning is placed on the second base at the beginning of each additional inning.
The rule has been in effect in the small leagues since 2018.
Jones, one of the Tigers’ best base runners, made the final out of the ninth inning, so he was placed second to start the 10th.
“The first was Jonesy,” Gardenhire said. “That’s really easy.”
The decision in the 11th inning was not so easy after the Pirates tied things to the bottom of the 10th innings.
Gardenhire decided to cut for CJ Cron with the fast Harold Castro, even though the Tigers’ bench was almost pulled out. From there, the Tigers got RBI singles from Jeimer Candelario and Austin Romine and a two-run duel from Niko Goodrum.
For Candelario, it was important to keep things simple with the new rule. He said he focused on putting the bats on the ball.
Goodrum, however, thought of things from the defensive side. He noted that the runner on second immediately put pressure on the defense and the pitcher.
“There’s an opportunity to drive the man in, so I’m trying to see what else is situational,” Goodrum said.
The Tigers finished the night with 17 runs, their highest total since scoring 19 against the Seattle Mariners on April 25, 2017.
“We’ve done it all game, so I think (extra innings) is just something new that we need to adjust,” Goodrum said.
The Tigers return to the field on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. for the second meeting of their three-game series against the Pirates.
