NEW YORK (AP) — Colt Keith hit an RBI double in the 11th inning Thursday afternoon, sparking the Detroit Tigers to a 6-3 comeback win that extended their best start since 2016 and sent the New York Mets to their worst start since 2005.
Gio Urshela added a two-out, two-run single for the Tigers, who will seek to match the 2016 team’s 6-0 start in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader. The twinbill was necessitated by rainouts Tuesday and Wednesday night.
The Mets’ Jose Buttó is scheduled to start the second game against fellow right-hander Matt Manning. Both pitchers were recalled earlier Thursday to serve as their team’s 27th man for the doubleheader.
The Mets haven’t opened 0-6 since 1963 — their second season.
METS 2, TIGERS 1, 2ND GAME
NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso launched a tying homer leading off the ninth inning, Tyrone Taylor lined a game-winning single and the New York Mets — after going 13 innings without a hit — rallied past the Detroit for their first victory of the season Thursday and a doubleheader split.
Harrison Bader’s bloop single to start the eighth was New York’s first hit in the second game. But the Mets finally broke through in the ninth to give Carlos Mendoza his first win as a major league manager. They avoided opening 0-6 for the first time since their second season in 1963.
CARDINALS 8, MARLINS 5
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Gorman hit a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning and St. Louis won their home opener over winless Miami, who are off to the worst start in the 33-year history of the franchise.
Jake Burger hit a pair of homers for Miami (0-8), which is off to the worst start in the majors since Atlanta and Minnesota each lost their first nine games in 2016.
The Marlins are the only winless team in baseball after the New York Mets got their first win Thursday, beating Detroit.
Gorman, who had three hits, highlighted a five-run seventh-inning rally with a double on the first pitch from reliever Andrew Nardi to give St. Louis a 6-5 lead. Alec Burleson followed with a single and Masyn Winn added a run-scoring triple.
GUARDIANS 4, TWINS 2
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tanner Bibee and the Cleveland bullpen had 15 strikeouts to put the clamps on Minnesota’s bats, Steven Kwan had three hits and Cleveland spoiled Minnesota’s home opener with a victory.
Bibee (1-0) matched his career high with nine strikeouts, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings. Four relievers followed, with Emmanuel Clase working a perfect ninth for his third save.
Carlos Correa had three hits and Edouard Julien homered for the Twins. Minnesota, which averaged more than 10 strikeouts per game to lead the majors last year, fanned the 15 times and stranded nine runners — eight in scoring position.
The eighth inning was emblematic of the Twins’ struggles. With Minnesota down by two runs, Correa led off with a double. But he remained stuck at second as Scott Barlow struck out Carlos Santana, Manuel Margot and Willi Castro in order to end the threat.
PIRATES 7, NATIONALS 4
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pittsburgh bounced right back from their first loss and lowest-scoring game of the season, producing a four-run first inning with the help of Rowdy Tellez’s two-run single to send them on their way to a victory over Washington.
Connor Joe contributed his first homer of the season — a 400-foot, two-run shot in the fifth — and Michael A. Taylor added three hits against his former team. Tellez, Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds each had two hits for the Pirates, who went up 7-1 and then held on.
Martín Pérez (1-0) pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and six hits while striking out six.
The Pirates completed their season-opening road trip with a 6-1 record and have scored at least six runs in all but one game.
ROYALS 10, WHITE SOX 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (A) — Nelson Velázquez and MJ Melendez each homered and drove in two runs, leading Seth Lugo and Kansas City to a victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Right fielder Hunter Renfroe threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the sixth inning before Kansas City broke it open with eight runs in the seventh.
Velázquez drove in the first two runs of the game with a single and a homer. Lugo (1-0) allowed one run and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings for his first win with the Royals.
It was the latest quality outing by one of Kansas City’s starters, who have a 1.43 ERA.
Lugo struck out three and walked two. Angel Zerpa retired Andrew Benintendi with a runner on second to end the seventh, preserving a one-run lead.