Santiago pinches Crow for another home run

DETROIT -- Ramon Santiago will always be known for hitting his first Major League home run off Pedro Martinez in 2002, but he hit his only walk-off shot off Royals reliever Aaron Crow two years ago. He can now count Crow for his first career pinch-hit homer.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said he was aiming to give Crow a different look when he sent Santiago up to hit for Jose Iglesias leading off the eighth inning in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Royals in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. Crow had just entered for Kelvin Herrera.

Crow put Santiago in an 0-2 hole with two called strikes on the outside corner before leaving a slider up and in. Santiago turned on it and sent it out to right for the Tigers' second hit of the game and first run of the afternoon.

It marked Santiago's first home run since he took Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo deep on June 9, 2012, at Great American Ball Park. His only other home run last year was a shot down the left-field line off the Yankees' CC Sabathia on June 1.

Santiago became the first player with two career home runs off of Crow, who in turn became the third Major League pitcher to give up two homers to Santiago. Scott Kazmir and Gavin Floyd are the others.