Johnny Damon’s home run gives Tigers 3-2 walk-off win over Angels
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Johnny Damon hit a solo home run that barely cleared the right-field wall off Angels reliever Scot Shields with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday, giving the Detroit Tigers a 3-2 walk-off win in Comerica Park.
Angels starter Scott Kazmir wasn’t exactly efficient with his pitches -- he needed 117 of them to get through six innings -- but 73 of those were strikes, and the left-hander was able to keep the Angels in the game by giving up only two runs, one of them earned, and five hits.
Kazmir, who struck out seven and walked four, gave up a run in the first when Austin Jackson and Damon each singled, Miguel Cabrera walked with one out to load the bases, and Brandon Inge hit a sacrifice fly to center. Kazmir struck out Ryan Raburn to end the inning.
The Angels tied the score in the fifth, thanks to a pair of errors by Cabrera, the first baseman. Howie Kendrick sparked the rally with a single and took second when Cabrera failed to catch pitcher Jeremy Bonderman’s pick-off throw to first.
Raburn, the Tigers’ right fielder, couldn’t make a sliding catch of Bobby Abreu’s sinking liner, a play that was ruled an error. Kendrick stopped at third but scored when Raburn’s throw from the outfield skipped off Cabrera’s glove.
The Angels took a 2-1 lead in the fifth when Kendry Morales singled, Mike Napoli doubled to left and Brandon Wood hit a run-scoring single to left. The Tigers tied it in the bottom of the fifth on Damon’s double and Cabrera’s RBI single.
-- Mike DiGiovanna in Detroit