Advertisement

Detroit Tigers fight past New Yankees in brawl-filled day

By Dana Gauruder, The Sports Xchange
Jose Iglesias and the Detroit Tigers fought past the New York Yankees on Thursday. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
1 of 2 | Jose Iglesias and the Detroit Tigers fought past the New York Yankees on Thursday. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

DETROIT -- Jose Iglesias smacked a go-ahead, three-run triple in the seventh, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a tension-packed 10-6 victory over the New York Yankees that included eight ejections and three benches-clearing incidents on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.

Tigers cleanup hitter and 11-time All-Star Miguel Cabrera and Yankees catcher Austin Romine were tossed after a benches-clearing brawl during the sixth inning. Yankees manager Joe Girardi and relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle had just been ejected after Kahnle threw a pitch behind Cabrera in the sixth.

Advertisement

Yankees reliever Dellin Betances and bench coach Robby Thomson were ejected in the bottom of the seventh after Betances drilled Tigers catcher James McCann in the helmet with a 98 mph fastball.

Tigers reliever Alex Wilson was tossed after hitting New York third baseman Todd Frazier with a pitch in the eighth. Detroit manager Brad Ausmus was also ejected.

Advertisement

The scuffle between Cabrera and Romine began after reliever Aroldis Chapman finished his warmup pitches following Kahnle's ejection. Cabrera approached the plate and exchanged words with Romine. Romine removed his mask and Cabrera shoved him with both hands and then threw punches while Romine wrestled him to the ground.

Ironically, Romine is the brother of Tigers utility player Andrew Romine.

Detroit starter Michael Fulmer hit Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez with a pitch the previous inning. Sanchez homered four times during the series, including a fourth-inning solo blast on Thursday.

Iglesias had three hits and drove in four runs, while Justin Upton and McCann hit solo homers for Detroit (55-71). Wilson (2-4) pitched an inning-plus of scoreless relief to collect the win. Shane Greene got five outs to record his fourth save.

Sanchez and Aaron Hicks drove in two runs apiece and Brett Gardner had four hits for the Yankees (68-58).

New York scored three runs the inning after the Cabrera-Romine brawl to tie it at 6-6. Gardner and Sanchez had run-scoring singles and Hicks contributed a sacrifice fly, though left fielder Upton robbed him of a homer.

Advertisement

Iglesias answered with his bases-clearing double in the bottom off the inning off left-center off David Robertson. Betances (3-5) was tagged with the loss.

Upton drilled his 27th homer into the left-field seats to give Detroit a 1-0 in the first. The Yankees tied it the next inning on Chase Headley's RBI single.

Sanchez put the Yankees back on top in the fourth when he crushed a full count offering from Fulmer. John Hicks' RBI single in the bottom of the frame evened the score.

The Yankees scored an unearned run in the fifth but Detroit answered with four in the bottom of the frame. JaCoby Jones' opposite-field, two-run single off reliever Adam Warren highlighted the rally and Iglesias' ground-rule double capped it off.

NOTES: Detroit DH Victor Martinez got the day off. Martinez had just three hits in 17 at-bats (.176) during the homestand. ... Tigers 2B Ian Kinsler has 13 home runs this season and all have been solo shots. He's the first major leaguer to have 13 consecutive solo homers from the start of a season since the first 14 of Shin-Soo Choo's 21 home runs for Cincinnati in 2013 were solo shots. ... The Yankees play 24 of their remaining 36 games at home. ... Yankees manager Joe Girardi has now been ejected 36 times in his managerial career, including four this season.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines