Detroit Tigers Sweep Chicago White Sox to Open the 2024 Season

The season is still young, but the Detroit Tigers have already etched their name into the record books. For the first time in the franchise’s illustrious history, the Tigers have roared to a 3-0 start, clinching each game by just a whisker—one run. Such a nail-biting beginning offers more than just wins; it promises a season brimming with excitement.

Gritty Victory Closes Series

The Tigers achieved the series sweep against the White Sox with a gritty 3-2 victory on Easter Sunday. Having relied on small ball for most of the series, manufacturing runs through timely hitting, they clinched Sunday’s series finale with help from the long ball and another strong performance from the Tigers’ pitching staff and bullpen.

The game had its moments of tension early on, following a solo home run from White Sox’s Korey Lee. However, Tigers’ right fielder Kerry Carpenter swung the momentum back, leveling the score with a towering home run. He jumped all over a hanging slider at the top of the strike zone to launch the ball over the right field fence. Jake Rogers, not to be outdone, blasted a solo homer in the fifth, edging the Tigers ahead 2-1.

For most of the game, this appeared to be sufficient for Tigers’ starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, who was making his season debut for his new team. Flaherty overcame a slight lack of sharpness before settling in. The right-hander dominated the mound, his slider proving particularly lethal. He consistently threw his slider for strikes in the bottom third quadrant of the strike zone, effectively keeping White Sox hitters off balance. He exited after the 6th inning with a 2-1 lead, having surrendered 4 hits, 1 earned run, 7 strikeouts, and zero walks. His 4-seam fastball averaged 93.5 mph, with a peak at 95.7 mph.

Late-Game Heroics

The Tigers’ bullpen, which had been dominant all weekend, experienced its only hiccup in the bottom of the 7th inning. Left-handed relief pitcher Andrew Chafin served up a 91-mph sinker right over the heart of the plate to White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong, who sent the pitch 355 feet over the right field fence. DeJong’s home run tied the game at 2 in the bottom of the 7th inning. Fortunately for the Tigers, that was the last run the White Sox would score.

The White Sox dispatched Tigers hitters quickly in the 8th inning, but Detroit responded in the 9th. After a Colt Keith groundout, third baseman Gio Urshela hit a line-drive single to left field. He was then replaced by pinch-runner Matt Vierling. Zach McKinstry, pinch-hitting for catcher Jake Rogers, exhibited excellent plate discipline, drawing a walk to put runners on first and second with two outs. When the White Sox brought in lefty Tim Hill to face left-handed swinging Parker Meadows, Tigers manager AJ Hinch responded. He pinch-hit right-handed batter Andy Ibanez for Meadows. Ibanez aggressively attacked a 2-0 count and singled through the left side, scoring Vierling from second base and moving the Tigers ahead 3-2.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, Tyler Holton started with a strikeout painted on the outside corner to White Sox’s Gavin Sheets. Hinch then brought in Jason Foley to close the game. Foley induced a groundball on his first pitch, a 96 mph sinker. He followed it with a game-ending groundball from Sox’s Braden Shewmake, securing the series sweep.

Looking Ahead with Optimism

The Tigers (3-0) now head to New York to face the Mets (0-3) in a three-game series at Citi Field. The probable pitchers for the Tigers are RHP Reese Olson on Monday, RHP Casey Mize on Tuesday, and LHP Tarik Skubal for his second start of the season on Wednesday.

As a reminder, the home opener for the Tigers is scheduled for Friday, April 5, at 1:10 pm EST against the Oakland A’s.

Top Tigers Today:

• SP Jack Flaherty: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 Ks, average 4-seam fastball: 93.5 (max 95.7)
• RF Kerry Carpenter: 2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
• 3B Gio Urshela: 2-4
• C Jake Rogers: 1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
• 3B Andy Ibanez: 1-1, pinch hit RBI single to put the Tigers ahead 3-2.

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For more from our Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions beat writer, Matt Broder, check him out on Twitter here: @mattbro21

Contact: Broder@woodwardsports.com

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Original Photo Credit: © Kamil Krzaczynski – USA TODAY Sports