WEST SACRAMENTO -- Striking out in each of his first two at-bats on Saturday reminded Tigers rookie Max Clark that big league baseball isn’t as easy as Clark made it seem in his electric MLB debut on Friday.
Athletics starter Jack Perkins got the best of Clark in the first and fourth innings on Saturday at Sutter Health Park, striking out Detroit’s top prospect swinging on a four-seam fastball and catching Clark looking on a backdoor sweeper.
“Definitely like a ‘Welcome to The Show’ moment,” Clark said. “Just got dominated with the spin.”
But when Clark came up again in the sixth with nobody out and Spencer Torkelson on first base, it was time to turn the tables. After fouling off a changeup and then a fastball, Clark got the sweeper he was waiting for and powered it over the right-field wall for his first Major League home run.
Part of an 8-6 win over the A’s, it was just another Max Clark moment in a weekend full of them so far.
“It’s been a blast,” Clark said. “It’s been a surreal 48 hours.”
Called up from Triple-A Toledo on Friday after outfielder Matt Vierling’s left adductor strain, Clark wasted no time by going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, a walk and an RBI in his debut. He kept it going Saturday, adding a sharply hit single in the ninth inning for his second straight multihit contest.
“He continues to contribute these first two games,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “A lot to like about what he’s doing.”
Trades and Transactions presented by CohnReznick
• 2026 Trade Deadline: Monday, 6 p.m. ET
• Skubal heads to Dodgers in Deadline blockbuster
• Latest trade buzz and rumors
• Tracking every trade
Clark’s blend of plate discipline, contact and power has led to excellent results -- not just at Toledo, where he hit .276 with 11 home runs and an .802 OPS, but so far in the Major Leagues.
He drew a free pass in his first MLB plate appearance and has seen an average of 4.8 pitches per plate appearance, including a 12-pitch flyout in the seventh inning of Saturday’s win.
To Clark, his two-run homer off Perkins’ sweeper represented growth. The pitch was 1.41 feet off the ground, well below the zone and far from Clark’s wheelhouse.
“One thing I’ve always struggled with is damage below the zone,” Clark said. “I saw it and was able to get it in the air pull side. A swing on that pitch is huge for not just my stats but my confidence in the box.”
The 21-year-old outfielder has never appeared to lack confidence, and there’s little reason for that to change after a stellar start to his big league career. Clark and rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle, who went 3-for-4 with a walk on Saturday and homered for the second straight night, have been as advertised and then some for the Tigers so far.
“I think what I like about their approach is they’re not trying to do too much,” Hinch said of the rookie duo. “These are two of the more famous guys coming in through the Minor Leagues, and the way that our young players get attention, I can’t say enough about our [player development] group getting them ready emotionally to play the game fundamentally well.”
Both Clark and McGonigle are key pieces to build around on a Tigers roster that underwent significant change on Saturday, when ace left-hander Tarik Skubal was dealt to the Dodgers for three prospects ahead of Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. The deal indicates the Tigers’ preference to retool for seasons to come, but at just 2 1/2 games out of an American League playoff spot, the club isn’t packing it in.
“There’s a lot to like on this team currently,” Hinch said. “I think we’ve got to be careful not to sprint too far into the future and just look right in front of us, that we have an opportunity and we have a good team.”
The Tigers’ performance in West Sacramento has been proof of that: They trounced the A’s 13-1 in Friday’s bullpen game before pounding 15 hits to back lefty Framber Valdez in Saturday’s win.
Life without Skubal, the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner, will look different, but the Tigers can’t afford to slow down.
“We’re going to need to make some adjustments, but the priorities, the standards, the push for this season doesn’t stop,” Hinch said. “We’ve got a chance to sweep the series tomorrow. We get a day off on Monday to sort through all this, and the schedule goes on.”