Gage Workman delivered his first major league home run—a tiebreaking, pinch-hit, two-run blast in his Detroit Tigers debut—as the visiting team snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday night.
Workman was called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier Sunday after Kerry Carpenter was placed on the injured list with a left shoulder sprain. Matt Vierling drove in two runs, while Hao-Yu Lee and Wenceel Perez each contributed an RBI. Riley Greene reached base four times and scored once.
Enmanuel De Jesus (2-0) delivered 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Kenley Jansen recorded the final three outs for his seventh save of the season.
Maikel Garcia led the Royals with three hits, a run, and an RBI. Vinnie Pasquantino added two hits and drove in a run, while Bobby Witt Jr. collected two hits and scored once.
Detroit struck first in the second inning. Greene led off with a single, and Perez reached on a fielder’s choice. After Spencer Torkelson struck out, Lee drove an opposite-field triple to score Perez. Zack Short drew a walk, and Vierling followed with a double off the left-center field wall, clearing the bases.
The Tigers had two baserunners with no outs in the third, but Noah Cameron retired the next three batters. Kansas City chipped away in the bottom of the inning: Garcia doubled to right, Witt reached on an infield single, and Pasquantino slapped an opposite-field single to drive in Garcia. Carter Jensen then lifted a sacrifice fly to score Witt, cutting the lead to one.
The Royals tied the game in the fourth. Jac Caglianone led off with a double. Drew Anderson struck out the next two hitters, but Garcia singled to center to bring Caglianone home, making it 3-3.
Detroit left two more runners on base in the fifth but reclaimed the lead in the sixth. Torkelson singled off Nick Mears (2-2). One out later, Workman pinch-hit for Short and drilled a slider over the right field wall to put the Tigers ahead 5-3.
The Tigers added an insurance run in the seventh. Greene doubled to right with one out and scored on Perez’s single to center, sealing the 6-3 final.
