Epic Seven 9-10

[Edelmira Bendorf]

LosAngeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani hit the 200th home run of his MLB career in the fifth inning of Saturday's game. The milestone homer put the Dodgers ahead of the Detroit Tigers on the scoreboard.

It took a while, but the Tigers picked up some home-run magic of their own as they clawed back with an improbable five-run ninth inning to even the score, highlighted by a clutch game-tying home run from rookie Colt Keith.

The Tigers then beat the Dodgers, 11-9, in 10 innings in the second of three games in the series at Comerica Park, playing in front of 40,196 fans. Gio Urshela hit a walk-off two-run home run to complete the comeback victory.

The epic ninth inning began with three consecutive hits off right-handed reliever Ricky Vanasco: Wenceel Prez's single, Justyn-Henry Malloy's single and Matt Vierling's double. The double from Vierling drove in two runs and trimmed the Tigers' deficit to 9-6.

Riley Greene grounded out and Jake Rogers struck out, putting the Tigers down to their final out. But Carson Kelly kept the Tigers alive with an RBI single off right-handed reliever Evan Phillips, making it 9-7.

In the top of the 10th, he turned an incredible double play (with shortstop Zach McKinstry) to strand the bases loaded, completing the play after right-handed reliever Will Vest utilized his slider to induce a ground ball from Freddie Freeman.

"I couldn't believe that Zach got to that ball," Keith said. "Right before the play happened, he said, if it's to him, I'm going to get there to second. I told him I would. It just worked out perfectly. Bases loaded, able to get that double play and get out of it them scoring, it was one of the coolest moments I've had yet."

In the 10th inning, the Tigers advanced their free runner from second base to third base on a sacrifice bunt from Prez, and although Urshela only needed a deep fly ball, he cleared the fence in left-center field for a walk-off home run.

Montero, 24, allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks with four strikeouts across five innings, throwing 92 pitches. He owns a 5.47 ERA through five games in his MLB career and will stay in the starting rotation coming out of the All-Star break.

"I was just trying to give 100% of myself," Montero said in Spanish through team interpreter Carlos Guilln. "I say that every outing. I know it was not the best outing I've ever had, but I wanted to compete with the stuff I had at the moment."

Ohtani scored for the third and final time in the eighth inning, boosting the Dodgers' lead to 9-4, on Freeman's sacrifice fly. Before crossing home plate, he walked on five pitches, stole second base and moved up to third base on Teoscar Hernndez's single.

"I feel like he hits in three different spots in the order because he's up every inning, it feels like," Hinch said. "He's a special player and doing it under the biggest spotlight in the spot. It's pretty incredible."

A memorable moment occurred in the fifth inning, when Ryan Vilade hit the first home run of his MLB career. He tagged a cutter from Wrobleski at the bottom of the strike zone for a 389-foot solo home run to left-center field.

On Saturday afternoon the two youth powerhouses collided and delivered an epic 8-7 battle that put Mechanicville on the verge of the title if they win Sunday at home to claim the best-of-three series.

Saratoga pushed across seven runs Saturday at West Side Rec against Mechanicville, the most by any team during the all-star season on six runs with the Mechanicville defense committing only one error in the field.

Saratoga delivered its own four-run outburst in the top of the third inning, taking advantage of four walks giving Blaisdell an RBI for his eagle eye at the plate to drive in Nate More who led off the inning with his own base on balls. He advanced on a groundout by Luke Delnicki before Colin Mack followed with an infield single. He would score after Harris was patient enough to take his own bases loaded walk for an RBI. Covell followed, driving in both Christian Mello who was inserted as a pinch-runner at third base for Klochaney who reached on an earlier walk along with Blaisdale for a 7-4 lead.

Cochran led off with a single through the right side of the infield before Cruz Goverski reached on an infield error, allowing Cochran to score after advancing on a walk issued to pinch-hitter Aidan Callanan and a wild pitch. Mark Pingelski delivered an RBI single to score Goverski and ended up on third, racing around as the ball was being thrown to the infield from his rope to the outfield.

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