Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera talks with Manager A.J. Hinch in the eighth inning against the New York Yankees in Detroit on Thursday. Paul Sancya/Associated Press
DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera was intentionally walked in the eighth inning with 2,999 career hits, setting off a loud chorus of boos and derisive chants at Comerica Park as the Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 3-0 Thursday.
Cabrera was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, forcing him and Detroit fans to wait at least another day for him to hit the 3,000 mark, a milestone just 32 players have reached in Major League Baseball history.
Ahead 1-0, the Tigers loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth against Miguel Castro. Reliever Lucas Luetge got Jeimer Candelario to hit a comebacker that was turned into a double play.
That brought Cabrera to the plate with two outs and runners on second and third. The 39-year-old slugger didn’t make even make it into the batter’s box when New York Manager Aaron Boone held up four fingers to give Cabrera, a former Marlins teammate, a free pass to the unoccupied base.
Boone said “it’s a baseball call all the way.”
“Obviously, understanding the moment in time,” he said. “A little more gut-wrenching than usual.”
The 236th intentional walk of Cabrera’s career, while strategically sound, triggered perhaps the loudest boos ever heard at a Tigers game since Comerica Park opened in 2000.
Boone said he the crowd reaction wasn’t a surprise.
“Of course, certainly understand that,” he said, adding, “you don’t necessarily like being in that position.”
The crowd of 21,529 quickly turned the jeers into cheers when Austin Meadows blooped a two-run double on a lefty vs. lefty matchup to put Detroit ahead by three.
When the inning ended, Cabrera put out his hands as if to tell that crowd he was OK with how things went. He then put up three fingers and gestured to the scoreboard to indicate the runs his team had scored.
“That’s the beautiful game of baseball,” Cabrera said outside the clubhouse when the game ended.
Michael Pineda (1-0) gave up just three hits over five innings in his Detroit debut against one of his former teams. Jacob Barnes, Wily Peralta, Alex Lange and Gregory Soto, who earned his third save, followed with four innings of scoreless relief.
The Yankees were shut out for the third time this season and their 39 runs are their fewest through 13 games since 1972.
Jordan Montgomery (0-1) became the first Yankee to finish six innings this year. He gave up only one run on three hits striking out five
GUARDIANS 6, WHITE SOX 3: Josh Naylor had two hits and two RBI, continuing his comeback from a devastating leg injury and helping host Cleveland complete a series sweep of Chicago.
Cleveland took both games of a doubleheader Wednesday against Chicago, which has lost four straight.
TWINS 1, ROYALS 0: Joe Ryan pitched six innings of two-hit ball against Kansas City’s revamped lineup, Miguel Sano drove in the game’s only run and visiting Minnesota avoided a series sweep.
Jhoan Duran and Joe Smith handed the slimmest of leads to Emilio Pagan, who worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth for the Twins’ first save this season.
Their bullpen had blown both previous chances.
ATHLETICS 6, ORIOLES 4: Sean Murphy homered, doubled and drove in three runs, and also made an alert play that led to the ejections of Baltimore star Trey Mancini and Manager Brandon Hyde as Oakland won at home.
With two outs in the fourth inning, Mancini hit a sharp grounder that second baseman Nick Allen fielded, but his low throw trickled past first baseman Seth Brown.
Mancini ran through the bag and stopped just shy of first-base umpire Rob Drake. As Mancini turned into fair territory to walk back to first, Murphy – hustling from his catcher’s spot to back up the play – tagged him. Mancini was called out and held back by Hyde, both of them furious and clearly feeling the Orioles’ slugger hadn’t made a move toward second.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
METS 6, GIANTS 2: Carlos Carrasco pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in almost three years, leading New York over visiting San Francisco.
Francisco Lindor, who had three hits, and Eduardo Escobar each connected for solo homers. Escobar’s second-inning shot gave the Mets the lead for good as they took 3 of 4 from the Giants.
Mets Manager Buck Showalter was back in the dugout after missing a game because of a medical procedure.
DIAMONDBACKS 4, NATIONALS 3:Arizona closer Mark Melancon retired Juan Soto with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, helping Cooper Hummel’s tie-breaking two-run home run hold up in the Diamondbacks’ win at Washington.
Soto popped up to third base with two outs, ending Melancon’s second save of the season.
Hummel had two hits, Matt Davidson and Jake McCarthy also homered, and Arizona split the four-game series with consecutive wins for the first time this season.
MARLINS 5, CARDINALS 0: Pablo Lopez pitched three-hit ball over seven dominant innings and Miami won at home.
Jesus Sanchez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered for the Marlins, who snapped an eight-game losing skid against St. Louis. The Cardinals swept two series last season and won the first two games in Miami.
Lopez (2-0) struck out nine, including Cardinals star Albert Pujols three times. The right-hander retired his final 11 batters and extended Miami starters’ scoreless innings streak to 15 innings after Sandy Alcantara threw eight shutout innings Wednesday.
NOTES
NATIONALS: The Washington Nationals placed reliever Hunter Harvey on the 10-day injured list with a right pronator strain and promoted right-hander Erasmo Ramirez from Triple-A Rochester.
DODGERS: Pitcher Trevor Bauer’s administrative leave has been extended by an additional week, through April 29, by Major League Baseball and the players’ association.
Bauer was placed on seven days’ paid leave last July 2 under the joint domestic violence and sexual assault policy of MLB and the union after a Southern California woman said he choked her into unconsciousness, punched her repeatedly and had anal sex with her without her consent during two sexual encounters earlier last year.
MLB and the union have since agreed to 13 extensions.
Bauer’s agents, Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba, have repeatedly pointed out that administrative leave is not a disciplinary action. Bauer continues to be paid his $32 million salary while on leave.
Bauer did not pitch after June 29. He had a record of 8-2 and a 2.59 ERA in 17 appearances in his first season with the Dodgers. He was paid his $28 million salary last year.
Los Angeles prosecutors decided in February not to charge Bauer for allegedly beating and sexually abusing the San Diego woman he met through social media.
Prosecutors were unable to prove the woman’s accusations beyond a reasonable doubt, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said in a document concluding their investigation.
RANGERS: The Texas Rangers will be without starting pitcher Jon Gray for at least one start after he suffered a left knee sprain, GM Chris Young said/
Gray will go on the injured list Friday and right-hander Glenn Otto is expected to be brought up from Triple-A Round Rock to start Friday night against Oakland in the opener of a three-game series.
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