Detroit — There was no shortage of reasons for 40,132 people to come to Comerica Park for the Tigers-Cubs series opener on Friday night.
The Tigers lead the American League. The Cubs lead the National League. A Friday night and, aside from hazy skies, the weather in Detroit was flawless. And arguably the best pitcher in the world, Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, was taking the bump for Detroit.
But on a day where Skubal was the big sell and he still performed solidly, the Tigers' defense managed to outshine him in a 3-1 win over Chicago. It was the Tigers fielders making key play after key play, and even stealing a few unexpected outs to keep runs off the board in a low-scoring affair featuring two of the best teams in baseball. And home runs from Spencer Torkelson and newly-called-up Jahmai