Santiago's triple in 10th gives Tigers win

JustinVerlander35 · Jun 14, 2011

The original version of Monday's Tigers-Rays tilt saw Detroit with a two-run lead before storms washed out the game. It took two and a half weeks, extra innings and a controversial call, but the Tigers finally got their two runs back.

Once Victor Martinez made it from first to home on Ramon Santiago's triple in the 10th inning, that second run was enough for a 2-1 win. It was worth the wait, and not just for the deadlock it preserved atop the American League Central.

"It's a great win for us," Santiago said. "Any win, anyhow for us, is very important for us. We have to grind out every game."

The win ensures that Detroit enters its three-game showdown series against Cleveland on Tuesday night in a virtual tie atop the division. The Indians won a 1-0 game over the Yankees on Monday night in the Bronx.

It also ensures that, barring a rainout, one team is going to end up alone atop the division when the series is over. But as the Tigers were struggling to hold onto their 1-0 lead, then trying to get the winning run across once Tampa Bay tied it, the Tribe wasn't their main concern.

"You know what? We're just taking it day by day, game by game," Martinez said. "Doesn't matter who we're playing. We just play hard and let things happen."

This was originally supposed to be a day when nothing happened. It was a scheduled off-day for the Tigers until storm clouds washed out these two teams May 25 in the third inning with a 2-0 Tigers lead. While the makeup game fell in the middle of a Tigers homestand, it added one more stop to a Rays road trip that already took them to Seattle, Anaheim and Baltimore.

Martinez's journey from first to home to close out his trip only seemed to cover that kind of distance.

"Did somebody get Victor some oxygen? He looked like he was going to pass out when he got in there," starter Phil Coke joked.

Coke was long since in the clubhouse once the 10th inning started. He was still in the dugout in the seventh when the Rays flipped out over losing the tying run.

With the bases loaded, one out and a full count, Casey Kotchman lofted a high fly ball into shallow right field. Magglio Ordonez, who just returned from the disabled list earlier in the day, camped under it for the catch, then fired a strike to home plate on one hop as Justin Ruggiano slid home.

Ruggiano tried to slide around Tigers catcher Alex Avila, who was blocking the plate, and seemingly did so successfully. But Triple-A umpire John Tumpane, who filled in for Mike Winters on the crew, called him out. Replays suggested Avila missed his tag attempt as Ruggiano slid by, then didn't actually tag him until after Ruggiano had touched home plate.

Ruggiano hopped up incredulous at the ruling before Rays manager Joe Maddon emerged from the dugout and got in between him and Tumpane. Maddon was soon ejected.
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Read More- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_06_13_tbamlb_detmlb_1&mode=recap_home&c_id=det

Big Frame · Jun 14, 2011

Happy Happy, Joy Joy, now beat Cleveland

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Santiago's triple in 10th gives Tigers win

JustinVerlander35 Bringin' the Heat

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Santiago's triple in 10th gives Tigers win

JustinVerlander35 Bringin' the Heat

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