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 Hunter and the Detroit Tigers saw their wait for a big hit end
with one out in the 12th inning when Alex Avila slugged a go-ahead
home run in a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees.
Hunter, the Tigers' right fielder, injured his hand when he was hit
by a Dellin Betances pitch in the ninth inning. He expected the
worst before X-rays revealed that he had a left hand contusion as
opposed to a broken hand. Speaking with a small wrap over his hand,
Hunter was relieved by the result of the X-rays and the result of
the game.
"Both (are nerve-wracking)," Hunter said with a laugh. "I was
sitting here in pain just like, 'All right somebody needs to get
this hit so we could (win),' and Alex came up with that big home
run."
Avila also had the game-tying single in the seventh off New York
starter Hiroki Kuroda. It helped guide left-hander David Price
through his first 8 2/3 innings with the Tigers.
After the Tigers stranded two in the 11th, Avila drove a 1-0
fastball from Matt Daley into the last row of the right-field
grandstand just in front of the right-field bleachers.
"You hit it so good that you don't feel it," Avila said. "That's
when you know you got it good."
It was his eighth home run and third career home run in extra
innings.
"It eased the pain," Hunter said. "We jumped up and down and now
it's starting to settle down and now I'm in pain again but it was a
pain-killer for a second."
"Alex's did sound solid and I didn't really hold my breath on that
one," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said.
Another nerve-wracking event for the Detroit came in the bottom of
the 12th when Joe Nathan opened his outing by allowing a drive to
switch-hitting third baseman Chase Headley that went to the warning
track in right field for a long out.
Nathan finished off a perfect inning for his 23rd save in 28
opportunities.
Joba Chamberlain had recorded the final out of the ninth and
stranded shortstop Derek Jeter at first in the 10th after hitting
the Yankee captain with a pitch. Joakim Soria (2-4) tossed a perfect
11th for the win.
Price allowed three runs and eight hits while striking out 10 for
his major league-leading 10th double-digit strikeout game. It also
was his 24thcareer double-digit strikeout game.
"He was calm, he was methodical and he got outs," Ausmus said.
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The Tigers snapped a four-game road losing streak by rallying from a 3-1
deficit against Kuroda. They made it a one-run game on shortstop Andrew
Romine's second home run of the season in the sixth and then put
together a two-out rally in the seventh, tying the game on Avila's
single to right field
The Tigers won on a night when first baseman Miguel Cabrera went 1-for-5
with two strikeouts.
Catcher Brian McCann and right fielder Martin Prado hit solo home runs
for the Yankees, who lost for the seventh time in 10 games and dropped
to 6-6 in extra innings. The Yankees also played their 16th straight
game decided by two runs or fewer, which, according to the Elias Sports
Bureau, is the most since the 1975 Baltimore Orioles.
"Our guys gave everything we had," New York manager Joe Girardi said.
"It's a tough loss but we'll bounce back."
Kuroda allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings. Before the
Romine home run, Kuroda had retired 14 in a row while getting five
strikeouts.
Detroit took a 1-0 lead on designated hitter Victor Martinez's sacrifice
fly in the first, but the Yankees tied it in the second on McCann's
12thhome run. They took a 2-1 lead on Jacoby Ellsbury's double in the
third and made it 3-1 on Prado's first home run as a Yankee.
NOTES: New York RHP Masahiro Tanaka (right elbow) continued his throwing
program by making 50 throws from 60 feet in the outfield. Tanaka will
take Wednesday off before resuming Thursday. ... The Yankees purchased
the contract of LHP Rich Hill from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to
take the place of LHP Matt Thornton, who joined the Washington Nationals
in a waiver trade. ... Detroit SS Eugenio Suarez missed the game with a
sprained left knee and is day-to-day. ... The Tigers also signed RHP Jim
Johnson to a minor league contract. Johnson was released by Oakland in
July and the former AL saves leader will throw in front of pitching
coach Jeff Jones before reporting to Triple-A Toledo
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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