Tigers Claw Back to Victory: Will the Pirates' Error in the 9th Haunt Them?

The Detroit Tigers, with a record of 7-4, faced off against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who came into the game with a 9-3 record. In a contest that saw both teams fight for dominance, it was ultimately the Tigers who emerged victorious with a final score of 5-3.

The game at PNC Park started off strong for the Tigers as they notched three hits and secured their first run in the opening inning. However, following this early success, both teams dug in defensively. The Tigers' bats were quieted until late in the game; they went through innings two to eight without scoring any runs despite managing to add another three hits during these frames.

Detroit's pitching held firm throughout most of the game. The starting pitcher worked for five innings and faced 21 batters while striking out two and allowing two earned runs on five hits. The bullpen took over from there and proved effective by maintaining an earned run average (ERA) of 2.25 across four innings pitched, surrendering just one earned run on three hits.

In contrast to their defensive prowess, it was an offensive explosion in the ninth inning that sealed victory for Detroit. Capitalizing on an error by Pittsburgh's defense and adding three more hits including one double – their only extra-base hit of the night – led to four runs crossing home plate.

The statistics tell a story of resilience; despite eight strikeouts looking or swinging combined and leaving six runners on base throughout nine innings played, Detroit managed to convert when it mattered most. They finished with nine total hits and maintained an impressive fielding percentage (FPCT) at 1.0 without committing any errors during play.

Onbase plus slugging (OPS) stood at .602 while batting average was .257 for Detroit's lineup which also had ten total bases over thirty-five at-bats (AB). Their pitchers threw a total of 138 pitches across nine innings – averaging nearly four pitches per batter faced – demonstrating control under pressure.

Pittsburgh's effort should not go unnoticed as they amassed eight hits themselves but were hindered by one costly error late in play which contributed significantly to their defeat despite having scored once each during second, third and sixth innings respectively before being shut out rest of way through ninth inning where they could not capitalize further even though managing two additional hits then too.

Looking ahead after this hard-fought win away from home soil; fans can catch next action when Detroit Tigers host Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park located in Detroit on April 12th scheduled for broadcast starting at 6:40 PM Eastern Time via network BSDET ensuring no moment is missed from upcoming matchup.