Cole, Pirates hand Tigers 1st loss
The Detroit Tigers weren't going to stay undefeated forever.
Right-hander Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates handed the Tigers their first loss of the season Monday, holding off a ninth-inning surge to down Detroit 5-4 at PNC Park.
Cole, making his second start of the season, threw six innings of one-run ball, allowed three hits and struck out eight in front of a packed stadium for the Pirates' home opener.
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The hard-throwing right-hander, who reached as high as 100 mph with his fastball, threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 23 batters he faced and cruised until running into his first jam of the game in the seventh inning.
He was yanked with none out in the seventh after allowing the first three batters of the inning to reach base, but the Tigers wasted a prime opportunity and plated only one run.
Detroit, down 5-1, did, however, storm back in the ninth inning.
Ian Kinsler and Miguel Cabrera led off the frame with back-to-back doubles before J.D. Martinez launched a two-run homer to make it a 5-4 game. But closer Mark Melancon buckled down after that and retired Victor Martinez on strikes to thwart the threat, dropping Detroit to 6-1 on the season.
Josh Harrison, Pedro Alvarez and Corey Hart each homered in the victory, the Pirates' second in a row.