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Brant Hurter impresses as reliever in MLB debut, but Detroit Tigers lose, 3-2, to Royals

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Brant Hurter impresses as reliever in MLB debut, but Detroit Tigers lose, 3-2, to Royals


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It wasn’t a start, but it was an MLB debut to remember for Detroit Tigers left-hander Brant Hurter.

The 25-year-old, a starter who had a 5.80 ERA across 71⅓ innings in Triple-A Toledo, joined the Tigers’ 11-man bullpen as a bulk reliever. He appeared in his first game Sunday against the Kansas City Royals, completing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

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Hurter impressed, but a bad pitch from a different reliever resulted in the Tigers losing to the Royals, 3-2, in Sunday’s finale of four games to drop the series at Comerica Park.

“Tough loss because we were in position to win,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “and we had the avenues to get to the finish line. That’s a gut punch.”

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Tigers promote left-hander Brant Hurter from Triple-A Toledo for MLB debut

Right-handed reliever Shelby Miller, a 12-year veteran, surrendered a three-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning. He hung a first-pitch splitter to pinch-hitter MJ Melendez, who drove the ball over the wall in right field.

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“They’re going to unleash all those lefties at any point,” Hinch said. “Shelby has given up eight hits to lefties on the year coming into that inning. Two two-strike hits, and then a bad split to a hitter that can hit the ball out of the ballpark, and it changes the whole landscape of the game.”

The Tigers (53-60) have lost 10 of their past 14 games.

Hurter handled the fifth, sixth and seventh innings against the Royals without issuing a walk while working around two hits, throwing 26 of 36 pitches for strikes. He generated six whiffs on 19 swings with one sinker, two sweepers and three fastballs.

His three scoreless innings protected the Tigers’ slim lead.

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“The big thing with me is my balls move all which ways,” Hurter said. “Throwing strikes and getting ahead is the big thing. I’ll get soft contact if I do that. If they’re able to spit on certain pitches, I’m a lot less successful.”

Hurter allowed singles to Vinnie Pasquantino and Hunter Renfroe in the sixth inning, but he escaped trouble by striking out Paul DeJong swinging with an up-and-in 92.9 mph four-seam fastball.

Before that, Hurter — who is still learning to command his changeup to right-handed hitters — struck out Salvador Pérez for the first strikeout of his MLB career. He fanned the veteran catcher, a nine-time All-Star in his 13-year career, with a down-and-away sweeper for the second out in the sixth inning.

“It was super cool,” Hurter said. “I think I threw a sinker away that he chased, so I threw a slider off that and was able to get the swing and miss. That was a really cool moment for me.”

Hurter also struck out Dairon Blanco looking with a sweeper to complete his three-inning relief appearance.

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“Brant was great,” catcher Dillon Dingler said. “He was controlling the zone really, really well with pretty much every shape that he had. I was super happy for him. He had some great innings out of the bullpen there. I know he’s probably floating right now. I’m really looking forward to what he can do moving forward.”

LET KEITH COOK: Tigers’ Colt Keith wins American League Rookie of the Month for July

The Tigers removed Hurter — in favor of right-handed reliever Will Vest — before he could have a second matchup with the top of the Royals’ batting order, anchored by superstar Bobby Witt Jr., in the eighth inning.

Vest did his job, but Miller didn’t take care of his business.

In the ninth inning, Miller allowed a leadoff single to Renfroe and a one-out single to Freddy Fermin. The Royals ended up with runners on the corners and two outs. Melendez stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter, representing the go-ahead run, then crushed a three-run home run.

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After the homer, Miller owns a 5.85 ERA in 40 innings this season.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

Quality plate appearances

The Tigers scored one run in the second inning and one run in the fifth inning.

Zach McKinstry sparked the second-inning run with a two-out triple on a first-pitch fastball from right-hander Michael Wacha. Dingler, a rookie catcher playing in his third game, worked a four-pitch walk to extend the inning. With runners on the corners, Gio Urshela hit a down-and-away cutter for a ground-ball single into left field, which scored McKinstry from third base for a 1-0 lead.

SKUBAL DAY: Why Tigers’ Tarik Skubal didn’t get to face Bobby Witt Jr. in 7th inning

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A leadoff walk from Javier Báez sparked the fifth-inning run. He advanced to third on Colt Keith’s one-out single, and then he scored on Matt Vierling’s sacrifice fly to right field, taking a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers then loaded the bases with an ensuing single from Justyn-Henry Malloy and a walk by Bligh Madris, but McKinstry grounded out to strand the runners.

There was also an opportunity to extend the lead in the sixth inning, with runners on the corners for Wenceel Pérez, but Pérez grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Wacha allowed two runs on seven hits and four walks with two strikeouts across six innings, throwing 99 pitches. The Tigers had quality plate appearances throughout those six innings but failed to get the big swing to put up a crooked number on the scoreboard.

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Two relievers before Hurter

The Tigers didn’t bring Hurter into the game until the fifth inning, even though he has worked as a starting pitcher throughout his career in the minor leagues.

“He attacked the strike zone with his best stuff,” Hinch said of Hurter. “He used all of this pitches, which was great. He can fall in the trap of falling in love with the sinker to get the ball on the ground because when it does, you want more of the same. … I though the handled the emotions of today extremely well.”

Instead, the Tigers started right-handed reliever Alex Faedo.

The combination of Faedo and right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee completed the first four innings. Faedo covered 1⅔ scoreless innings, working around two hits and one walk with three strikeouts; Hanifee covered 2⅓ scoreless innings with one strikeout.

Faedo owns a 3.69 ERA across 53⅔ innings this season.

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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.





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Detroit, MI

Metro Detroit doctor performs CPR during public medical emergency

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Metro Detroit doctor performs CPR during public medical emergency


A special reunion on Friday gave a young woman who suffered a medical emergency the chance to thank the person who saved her life.

The backstory:

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Emily Morgan was in a fitness class when suddenly Emily collapsed.

Luckily, Dr. Dema Fawaz, an emergency room physician at Corewell Health, was in the right place at the right time.

“I turned around and saw Emily being slowly lowered to the ground,” said Dr. Fawaz. “I sensed a lot of panic in the room and I immediately identified myself and said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m a physician, I can help.’”

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Fawaz said she performed CPR until the ambulance arrived, helping save Emily’s life. It was her first time doing CPR outside of work.

Big picture view:

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At only 27 years old, Emily survived cardiac arrest, and all she remembers is waking up in the hospital.

“They told me someone in my class had saved me, and I didn’t know who it was. But I immediately recognized her when she came in at the hospital. We’d taken classes together before, and I just didn’t know her name, so it was emotional in the hospital when she came and visited me,” she said.

Meanwhile, the heartfelt reunion was just another reminder of why learning CPR could save a life. Every second counts, and even though Fawaz is a doctor, CPR is not hard to learn, and the more people who know it, the better.

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It might just save a life.

Royal OakHealth



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Detroit, MI

Drivers talk competing in Detroit Grand Prix and other sports news

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Drivers talk competing in Detroit Grand Prix and other sports news



Drivers talk competing in Detroit Grand Prix and other sports news – CBS Detroit

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The Detroit Grand Prix is here. Drivers discuss being a part of the annual event. Meanwhile, the Michigan Panthers are wrapping up their regular season this weekend.

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Detroit, MI

The Tigers have swept the Giants, celebrate by buying the latest merchandise

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The Tigers have swept the Giants, celebrate by buying the latest merchandise


The Detroit Tigers ended their homestand on a high note with three wins over the San Francisco Giants. Celebrate in style by buying the team’s latest gear.

  • Buy Tigers gear: Fanatics, Amazon, Lids

The Tigers were feeling a little weathered after dropping three of four to an American League rival, the Cleveland Guardians, last weekend. However, Detroit responded in a big way, beating up one of the best teams in the National League West in the final series of their recent homestand.

The Tigers certainly did not light up the scoreboard in the three meetings with the Giants, but they did enough to grab a sweep, finishing their homestand with a 4-3 record, continuing to prove why the Bengals are one of the best home teams in Major League Baseball.

Detroit Tigers New Era 2025 Big League Chew 59FIFTY Fitted Hat

Detroit Tigers New Era 2025 Big League Chew 59FIFTY Fitted Hat

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The Tigers are gearing up for a weekend series against the Kansas City Royals. Detroit is currently atop the AL Central, six games ahead of the Guardians and Minnesota Twins.

You can get the latest Tigers gear at Fanatics. Customers can get free shipping on orders over $29 by using the promo code 29SHIP.

Detroit Tigers New Era 2025 Big League Chew 59FIFTY Fitted Hat – $54.99

Detroit Tigers New Era 2025 Big League Chew Golfer Snapback Hat – $44.99

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Detroit Tigers Nike Authentic Collection Performance Half-Zip Top – $89.99

Detroit Tigers Personalized Team Winning Streak Name & Number T-Shirt – $39.99

Detroit Tigers Nike Americana T-Shirt – $34.99



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