Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Tigers reliever Ruben Alaniz pitched an inning as coach Gene Roof

Tigers reliever Ruben Alaniz pitched a pretty good eighth inning of the Tigers-Yankees Spring Training game on Wednesday. Detroit ended up losing the game, 10-9, in the ninth, but before that Alaniz did his part: one inning pitched, zero hits, one strikeout. 
He just did it as someone else.

That someone was Tigers coach Gene Roof, who, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck, lent Alaniz his jersey after the reliever fogot his back at the Tigers' camp in Lakeland. But hey -- this sort of thing happens during Spring Training as surely as the sun wreaks havoc on players' vision. Just ask former Tiger Rajai Davis, who had to borrow Tigers coach Gene Lamont's jersey last year (yes, the Tigers have two coaches named Gene, apparently). 
And besides, Alaniz's sartorial mix-up added a bit of whimsy for those covering the game.

BarberJordan
beephero
AP_702417634020
NYC