Detroit’s Opening Day ended with chaos and drama. Down one in the ninth, the Tigers faced White Sox closer Liam Hendriks. He pounded the zone with fastballs, blowing away the first batter. Eric Haase followed, fouling off heater after heater before finally turning on one and sending it out to tie the game. He slammed his helmet, got mobbed by teammates, and may have muttered something that sounded like it belonged in a Game of Thrones episode.
With two outs and a runner on third, Javy Báez stepped in and swung for the fences. He connected on a line drive to right that A.J. Pollock chased down at the wall. At first glance, it looked like a possible catch. Báez hesitated, then watched the replay on the scoreboard and started celebrating. The replay showed the ball hit the wall first, which meant it was a fair ball and a walk-off hit. The stadium erupted. The team celebrated. But the umpires hadn’t ruled yet. Pollock claimed it hit the top, but after review, the call was confirmed: the ball hit the wall before landing in his glove. Run scores. Game over. A messy but thrilling start to the Tigers’ season.