In a moment that felt straight out of a baseball fairytale, Gage Workman introduced himself to Detroit Tigers fans in unforgettable fashion on Sunday night. His first MLB home run—a dramatic two-run blast in the sixth inning—propelled the Tigers to a much-needed 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, snapping a five-game losing streak and avoiding a series sweep.
Workman, whose contract was called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day to replace injured outfielder Kerry Carpenter, entered the game as a pinch-hitter with the score tied 3-3. Facing Royals reliever Nick Mears, he turned on a slider and sent it just inside the right-field foul pole, giving Detroit a lead they would never relinquish. The irony wasn't lost on anyone: Workman's middle name is "Tater," yet he had never hit a tater in 17 career MLB plate appearances across his stints with the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox in 2024.
The Tigers' bullpen made the lead stand up beautifully. Six pitchers combined to hold Kansas City in check, with Enmanuel De Jesus earning the win after tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Closer Kenley Jansen, making just his second appearance in 11 days, worked a clean 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure his seventh save of the season.
Detroit jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the second inning against Royals left-hander Noah Cameron. Hao-Yu Lee delivered an RBI triple—the first of his career—and Matt Vierling followed with a two-run double, both coming with two outs. The rally started with Riley Greene's leadoff single, extending his on-base streak to a career-high 21 games. Greene was a menace all night, reaching base in four of five plate appearances with a double and two walks.
The win pulls the Tigers (19-22) into a tie with the Royals (19-22) for third place in the American League Central, a division where no team currently sits above .500. After an off day Monday, Detroit heads to New York for a three-game series against the Mets beginning Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. Right-hander Jack Flaherty (0-3, 5.56 ERA) will take the mound for the Tigers, looking to build on his last start when he struck out 10 batters against the Boston Red Sox—his first double-digit strikeout game since Aug. 9, 2024, with the Dodgers.