In the bullpen, closer Joe Nathan was warming up and he said he knew it was gone and some sixty-odd feet in front of him, a couple of feet in front of the back wall, bullpen catcher Jeff Kunkel, “I just caught it,” he said.
via Detroit Free Press | freep.com.
If anyone knows when it’s a home run, it’s Joe. On replay, you can see some snarf cleanly catch the homer – it was Kunkel.
Miguel Cabrera scored our only run previous to the grand slam, a solo homer of his own. Anibal Sanchez pitched magnificently, going seven innings on 110 pitches for two earned runs, no walks, eight hits, and two strikeouts.
Blaine Hardy picked up the win in relief, pitching a perfect ninth.
Rod Allen: “He WALKED-IT-OFF!”
….Sanchez and the Hardy boy shined…….. what a performance also by Coke who stopped the bleeding…Tiger pitching is keeping it going for the big slam in the ninth to bring it home for 84′ boys who will remember this one!