Tigers allow two runs to score on hilarious botched infield pop fly vs. Yankees
Questionable motor skills in the Motor City.
Tuesday night’s Yankees-Tigers matchup in Detroit was a lengthy nine-inning affair between a pair of scuffling teams: The Yankees had gotten off to a 5-5 start and were coming off a series loss to the lowly Orioles. The Tigers may be heading for another fifth-place finish in the AL Central.
So it didn’t take long for bad baseball to show up at Comerica Park: With two outs in the first inning, an infield pop fly off the bat of Josh Donaldson resulted in a botched catch attempt best reserved for baseball blooper reels.
Pitcher Tyler Alexander awkwardly tried a basket catch in front of the mound and catcher Tucker Barnhart pulled off an ungraceful pirouette before falling.
Alexander proceeded to fumble the ball and stumble over Barnhart’s prone body. First baseman Spencer Torkelson stopped in his tracks while watching the entire ordeal unfold.
The Tigers drop a Josh Donaldson popup and gift the Yankees two runs in the first! pic.twitter.com/Gp8DbzBEX1
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 19, 2022
MORE: Gerrit Cole’s poor 2022 season start continues with bad outing vs. Tigers
The defensive gaffe allowed two runs to score. Aaron Hicks headed home from third base and Anthony Rizzo scored all the way from second … on an infield pop fly.
The weirdness didn’t end there. In the second inning, pitcher Rony Garcia — on in relief of Alexander — spiked a pitch in the dirt and appeared to injure his finger in the process. He would be removed from the game shortly thereafter.
Rony Garcia just spiked a pitch the feet off the mound and hurt his finger on the pitch. The Detroit Tigers are now on their third pitcher in 1.1 innings #DetroitRoots
— Noah Bieniek (@Seventy7NB) April 19, 2022
The Yankees took advantage of Detroit’s miscues and eventually took a 4-2 win in a game that lasted 3 hours and 59 minutes.
At least 20 seconds of that nearly four-hour matchup were entertaining, though.