Tigers escape jam on wild play at the plate ... on an inning-ending strikeout?!
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DETROIT -- Troy Melton and Dillon Dingler have accomplished quite a bit early in their Major League careers. On Thursday, the Tigers' pitcher-catcher battery added a rare feat for any experience level: The strikeout/2-1 putout.
It takes a special situation and awareness, and it got the Tigers out of a bases-loaded jam in the opening inning of their series opener against the Royals at Comerica Park.
The Royals made Melton work for 28 pitches in the first inning, from a leadoff walk to Carter Jensen to a one-out single from Vinnie Pasquantino. Salvador Perez then battled Melton for a 10-pitch walk to load the bases with one out, but Melton responded with three-pitch strikeouts of Michael Massey and Isaac Collins.
The Collins strikeout, however, came on a slider in the dirt that bounced past Dingler. Had there been fewer than two outs, Collins would’ve been out due to the runner on first base. With two outs, however, the uncaught third strike was a live ball.
But with the bases loaded, there was a forceout at any base, allowing the Tigers to escape by simply stepping on home plate before Jensen crossed. Melton did that -- barely. He reached over his head to catch Dingler’s underhand flip and then stepped on the plate just before Jensen slid across.