Fearless baserunning puts Tigers' 8th-inning comeback in motion

DETROIT -- Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland used to say that the true test of a baserunner is whether he can swipe a bag when everyone in the ballpark knows he’s going. The value of Zach McKinstry on Tuesday night was in taking home when no one else seemed to know.

“He’s our best baserunner arguably, in terms of instincts, reaction and boldness,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “And it takes all of those things to make that play.”

The look of Royals catcher Salvador Perez from behind the plate can put a stop sign on even the most daring of baserunners. McKinstry got the look and reacted the opposite.

In the context of reliever Nick Mears’ changeup in the dirt, that look was McKinstry’s green light to break home with the tying run.

“It kind of went up the first-base line,” McKinstry said. “He looked to the left first, so I thought he was thinking it was that way. So I just took off.”

Through their five-game losing streak, which included a series sweep in Minnesota, the Tigers talked about getting back to their style of ball. Tuesday’s 2-1 win, more than any other in their current four-game winning streak, fit their style, right down to the fearless baserunning and the eighth-inning comeback.

This win sums up the impact of third-base coach Joey Cora. It also sums up the value of staying true to your style, even after it arguably hurts you during tough times.

On April 6, Spencer Torkelson’s break for a second on a pitch to the backstop was the right play, until the ball bounced right back to the catcher, forcing a rundown that cost the Tigers a precious scoring opportunity in a 7-3 loss to the Twins. On Tuesday, it all evened out.

“It was Joey telling me, 'Hey, be ready for the dirt ball here,’ just kind of anticipating that,” McKinstry said. “I think I had a pretty good lead on. [Third baseman Maikel] Garcia was kind of back. [Perez] kind of gloved it. It went that way. He kind of looked this way at me. I saw that so I just [knew] he didn't know where the ball was.”

Until then, the Tigers had struggled to figure out Royals pitching, from ace Cole Ragans to the bullpen. Detroit, despite just two strikeouts, was held to a pair of infield singles through seven innings. The first six innings came from an effectively wild Ragans, who overcame four walks with 10 ground-ball outs, including a pair of inning-ending double plays.

Framber Valdez just about matched him, tossing seven innings of three-hit ball, but left in line for what would have been the Tigers’ second 1-0 loss this season.

“In these close games, it takes somebody to do something instinctual,” Hinch said. “It’s not always mapped out. It’s not always planned out. It’s not always perfect. But it’s impactful.”

McKinstry’s eighth-inning leadoff double off Mears was a throwback to his All-Star season in 2025, looking for line drives down the line. Gleyber Torres’ groundout moved McKinstry to third with one out, but Bobby Witt Jr. -- whose over-the-shoulder grab took a bloop hit away from Javier Báez after a leadoff walk in the fifth -- made a diving grab to turn Colt Keith’s pinch-hit line drive up the middle into the second out.

With Kevin McGonigle up in another big RBI situation, someone needed to make a play. Turns out, it was McKinstry.

“I just thought the ball was right below my feet,” said McGonigle, ranked Detroit’s top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall. “I look up and I see Zach running in. I go to get out of the box and I see the ball by my feet and I get out of the way. It was all sped up on me at once.”

With the game tied at 1, McGonigle could focus on getting on base and extending the inning. His walk brought up Dillon Dingler, whose 106.7 mph bouncer skipped past third baseman Garcia’s glove and into left field for another double.

McGonigle knew Cora would wave him home.

“I had an idea in the Minor Leagues how he is over there at third,” McGonigle said. “I know he’s aggressive, and that’s the way we play the game.”

McGonigle arguably set the tone on the basepaths with a hard slide into second on Jonathan India trying to break up a double play in the opening inning. In the eighth, he was following McKinstry’s lead.

“He told me he thought he was going slow around the bases,” Hinch said.

“I don’t know if you were watching,” McGonigle said, “but I kind of hit a wall at third base.”