When the baseball skipped past Billy Hamilton’s outstretched glove in center field, Detroit Tigers slugger Eric Haase put his legs into another gear. Known for driving home runs over the fence, Haase unleashed his secret weapon.
“When he dove, it got by him,” Haase said. “I knew it was time to turn it on.”
Hamilton chased after the ball, which rolled to the warning track. Jonathan Schoop and Miguel Cabrera scored easily. Third base coach Chip Hale aggressively waved his arm. Haase chugged around third base and crossed home plate for a three-run, inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning.
But that moment wasn’t the only reasons fans applauded Saturday at Comerica Park. The Tigers (37-46) scored four more runs in the fifth inning, propelling them