Gose shows power, defensive ability in return
Tigers center fielder makes impact nine months after trade from Blue Jays
TORONTO -- Matt Boyd wasn't the only former Blue Jay taking the field at Rogers Centre on Friday night for the first time since being traded to the Tigers. Anthony Gose just wasn't as recent a Toronto player, and his trade wasn't as prominent.
Nine months have passed since the Blue Jays dealt Gose to Detroit for Devon Travis, long enough for old ties to nearly be forgotten. Gose made an impact by powering home two of Detroit's three runs and potentially denying Toronto an add-on tally in the Tigers' 5-3 loss.
Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey shut down the Tigers for five innings after Ian Kinsler's first-inning solo homer, but he came close to allowing a home run in the sixth when J.D. Martinez flied out to the warning track with two runners on. Dickey nearly retired the side in order in the seventh when a Jose Iglesias walk extended the inning for Gose.
Gose fell behind chasing knuckleballs his previous time up, setting up Dickey to strike him out on an 80-mph fastball to end the fifth inning. Given another chance, Gose laid off a couple knucklers to move ahead. With a 2-0 hole, Dickey threw another knuckleball to Gose. This one fluttered into the zone, and Gose sent it out over the right-field wall.
Gose's fourth home run of the year was his second against his old club. He also homered off the Blue Jays on July 5 at Comerica Park, pulling that one down the right-field line as well.
Video: DET@TOR: Gose makes a diving grab to rob Revere
An inning later, Gose made his presence felt in center field, running down a line drive from Ben Revere and then hitting the turf in shallow right-center to make the diving catch. It was an all-or-nothing play that could have cost a run if he came up short; the ball would've probably taken a high bounce off the artificial turf and hung there.
Gose's highlight-reel play came against the team that gave him his first chance in the Majors in 2012. He played parts of three seasons in Toronto, bouncing back and forth a few times to Triple-A Buffalo.