Drew Hutchison saved Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers.
“When you come into a situation like that,” said Hutchison, a veteran right-hander, “you have to keep it right where it’s at and try to flip that momentum back in our direction.”
Javier Bàez won the game with a walk-off single in front of 43,480 fans at Comerica Park.
“Fans, it’s not going to be easy this year, but it’s going to be fun,” Báez told the sold-out crowd. “We need your support. Let’s go, Tigers.”
Eric Haase clobbered a game-tying solo home run in the ninth, just before Báez’s heroics. Miguel Cabrera delivered a clutch two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to spark the comeback.
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Those players were the key contributors in Friday’s 5-4 victory, but Hutchison — the 2015 Opening Day starter for the Toronto Blue Jays — set his team up for a chance to win in the late innings. The 31-year-old pitched scoreless fifth and sixth innings, after starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed three runs in four innings.
The Tigers didn’t score their first run until the bottom of the sixth.
The rally wasn’t a case of “too little, too late,” thanks to Hutchison.
“We have a puncher’s chance when you’re down by three,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I would argue that might have been the biggest moment of the game. Obviously, the Haase homer is huge. The Javy walk-off is great. But Hutch, with second and third and one out.”
Hutchison allowed a double to AJ Pollock and a single to Luis Robert to open the fifth inning, and Jose Abreu’s groundout advanced both runners. With two runners in scoring position, Hutchison had to face Yasmani Grandal and Eloy Jimenez.
Grandal popped out to second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who caught the ball with his back to the infield dirt, immediately turned 180 degrees and fired a bullet to catcher Tucker Barnhart. Hutchison’s 1-2 slider and Schoop’s defense kept Grandal from scoring.
Then, Jimenez hit a comebacker to Hutchison for the third out. He returned for the sixth and retired the three batters he faced.
“Four-to-nothing, five-to-nothing at that point in the game, it’s a little slippery and pretty dangerous,” Hinch said. “I give him credit for that, and I like him in that role, that swing role where he’s going to throw multiple innings and keep us in the game. It’s exactly what he did.”
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“You just gotta make pitches,” Hutchison said. “It sounds cliche, but I mean, it’s quality pitch after quality pitch. You put yourself in a position to get out of it. I got ahead of Grandal right away, so we were able to go wherever we wanted there and get some weak contact. You do that, and you’re one pitch away.”
‘Knows how to pitch’
The Tigers signed Hutchison on March 15 to a minor-league contract. He pulled into spring training in Lakeland, Florida, with an opportunity to earn a spot on the 28-man Opening Day roster.
As bullpen injuries and work-visa delays piled up, the chances of Hutchison breaking camp with the Tigers increased. He learned he made the team April 5, three days before his relief appearance in the opener.
“The way I felt and the way my arm feels, I knew I was in a good place,” Hutchison said. “I just needed that opportunity. I was able to get that, and I was able to take advantage of that opportunity.”
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Hutchison pitched nine games, including two starts, for the Tigers in 2021. He posted a 2.11 ERA with 11 walks and 10 strikeouts across 21⅓ innings. Hutchison hadn’t pitched in MLB since the 2018 season, and in 2020, he was out of affiliated baseball. He salvaged that year with six starts for the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association, a 12-team independent league.
“Looking back at his career,” Hinch said, “he’s been an Opening Day starter before, so he clearly knows how to pitch. The experience has helped him.”
Spanning seven MLB seasons, Hutchison boasts a 4.95 ERA with an 8% walk rate and a 20.2% strikeout rate over 100 games (81 starts) for the Blue Jays (2012, 2014-16), Pittsburgh Pirates (2016), Philadelphia Phillies (2018), Texas Rangers (2018) and Tigers (2021-22).
As Hutchison experienced, there’s a significant difference between his mindsets starting and relieving. The Tigers believe, for Hutchison, an aggressive approach has led to better performance.
“I know he’s going to execute,” Hinch said. “I think the stuff ticks up a little bit. He doesn’t dance around the strike zone as much in a bullpen role as he might as a starter. I don’t have to worry about the second time, third time through (the batting order).”
Hutchison has pitched 483⅔ innings in his career.
On Friday, Hutchison dominated in two of those innings. He fooled the White Sox with 20 sliders (63%) and 11 four-seam fastballs (34%), along with one sinker. His slider stood out the most, with three swings and misses and one called strikes.
His fastball averaged 92.8 mph.
“I felt good,” Hutchison said. “Slider was good. Fastball command was pretty good. I was able to get in on a couple of guys, and I was just able to settle down and execute some pitches after the first two guys.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.