Romine adds crown jewel with first career homer

DETROIT -- There's a room in Andrew Romine's house.

Most people would call it an office. The shortstop calls it his "I love me" room.

It's adorned with different mementos from his playing career. Friday night, he may have found its new crown jewel.

The switch-hitting Romine, in the Tigers' lineup for his glove and not his bat, had been mired in an 0-for-21 slump. That is, until he lined a pitch from Texas starter Scott Baker out to deep right field in the sixth inning of Detroit's 7-2 win.

"I knew that it was hard enough," Romine said. "I just didn't know if it was going to stay fair. I was thinking, 'God, that ball better stay fair,' because I don't know what else I have to do to get a hit right now."

It did stay fair, colliding with the foul pole. Romine had himself his first career home run in his 236th career at-bat. And, perhaps more importantly, he had the newest souvenir for the "I love me" room.

"That's going right up on the wall," Romine said.

The solo shot gave the Tigers a 6-2 lead and lent more breathing room to a winded bullpen.

"He's been scuffling a little bit so it was a good way for him to hopefully bust out of it," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "The home run was an important add-on run for us tonight. Kind of thinking in the back of my mind this is where he turns around."

Romine's average is still just .176, but he agreed with Ausmus' assessment that Friday could be a turning point.

"Obviously, feeling has a lot to do with it. But getting some results under your belt is a good place to start with," he said.