Clark crushes 1st career homer in Tigers' win, shining alongside McGonigle

WEST SACRAMENTO -- After being selected 37th overall by the Tigers in the 2023 MLB Draft, Kevin McGonigle sent out a text to Max Clark, taken earlier by Detroit with the No. 3 overall selection.

McGonigle told Clark he couldn’t wait until the two were sharing a big league stage together. The goal? “Winning as much as we can,” McGonigle said.

So far, so good.

In Saturday’s 8-6 win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park, McGonigle and Clark both shined for the second straight game since Clark’s callup from Triple-A Toledo on Friday, leading the Tigers to their second straight victory. After McGonigle led off Saturday’s contest with an opposite-field home run, Clark socked a two-run shot into the bullpen in the fifth inning for his first Major League dinger.

The two -- who became the first pair of Tigers teammates age 21 or younger to homer in the same game in franchise history -- have quickly proven to be a dynamic duo. On Friday, McGonigle ripped a home run to center field and Clark went 3-for-4 with two doubles in his MLB debut.

McGonigle, the American League Rookie of the Year Award frontrunner, was a force at the top of Detroit’s lineup again on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with a walk and adding another RBI on a single in the eighth inning. Clark, MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 overall prospect, slapped a single to left in the ninth to give him two multihit games in two tries since reaching the Majors.

The standout rookies’ performance was overshadowed by the Tigers’ trade of left-hander Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers, proof Detroit -- despite being just 2 1/2 games out of an American League Wild Card spot -- is open for business ahead of Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.