DETROIT, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Torii Hunter hit a three-run home run with two out in the ninth Thursday, giving the Detroit Tigers a stunning 7-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Oakland led 6-1 after the fifth inning, rocking Tigers' ace Max Scherzer for eight hits and six runs in five innings.
Scherzer was bidding to become the first 20-game winner this year but instead needed the big comeback to avoid getting his second loss of the season.
The Tigers inched closer with Prince Fielder's 21st home run and a Ramon Santiago RBI single in the sixth and Detroit put together a four-run rally in the ninth.
Austin Jackson walked to open the inning and Oakland reliever Grant Balfour (0-3) got two outs before walking Fielder. Victor Martinez followed with a single that chased Jackson in and made the score 6-4 Oakland.
Hunter fouled off the first pitch he saw and the second was a ball. He connected with the third for a shot over the fence in left-center for his 16th home run of the year and the walk-off win.
Joaquin Benoit (4-0), who pitched a two-hit ninth, came away with the win.
Oakland had a trio of two-run rallies off Scherzer. Jed Lowrie hit a two-run home run in the first and Daric Barton and Eric Sogard added fourth-inning sacrifice flies. The Tigers got a sacrifice fly of their own from Bryan Pena in the fourth but Brandon Moss hit a two-run homer -- his 25th this season -- in the fifth of the 6-1 A's lead.
