NEW YORK -- The Tigers completed their first series sweep at Yankee Stadium since 2008, but they needed a couple of extra innings on a hot Wednesday afternoon to do it. Zach McKinstry’s two-run single fueled a four-run 11th inning, sending Detroit to a 6-2 victory.
Troy Melton picked up where fellow starters Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal left off in the first two games of the series, striking out seven batters over 6 1/3 scoreless innings to support a 2-0 lead that held until the ninth. Amed Rosario’s one-out homer off Drew Anderson put the Yankees on the board, then Jazz Chisolm Jr. singled to put the tying run on base.
Chisholm stole second and third on Anderson and catcher Jake Rogers, then scored on a wild pitch. It was a baserunning run off Anderson, who had allowed 13 stolen bases in 13 tries for his MLB career until Rogers threw out Anthony Volpe for the second out of the ninth.
Keider Montero, pitching in relief for the first time since being shifted out of a cluttered rotation, struck out Oswaldo Cabrera and Ali Sánchez -- the latter on a 97.2 mph fastball -- to strand the winning run on third in the 10th inning.
The Tigers moved the go-ahead run around without a base hit in the 11th. Matt Vierling groundout moved leadoff runner Kevin McGonigle to third, then Camilo Doval walked the next three batters – Riley Greene intentionally, then Hao-Yu Lee and Spencer Torkelson unintentionally. McKinstry’s ensuing single cleared the bases, helped by a Sánchez throw into center field that allowed Torkelson to come home and gave Montero some insurance for the 11th.
The sweep is the Tigers’ first at the current Yankee Stadium.