The Detroit Tigers were nine outs away from completing a combined no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants.

In another bullpen-only game, the Tigers retired 18 of the first 19 batters without allowing a hit in Friday’s opener of a three-game series at Oracle Park. The Giants, though, picked up their first hit on a leadoff single in the seventh inning, facing right-handed reliever Kenta Maeda.

The Tigers crumbled from there, losing 3-2.

“It happens fast,” manager A.J. Hinch told reporters in San Francisco. “Obviously, in close games, there’s a fine line between winning and losing, and it’s usually in the margins.”

The Giants scored one run apiece in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. In the ninth, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs against right-handed reliever Jason Foley. After that, Mark Canha — whom the Tigers traded to the Giants at the July 30 trade deadline — delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly against righty reliever Shelby Miller.

The Tigers (55-62) have lost back-to-back games in walk-off fashion.

The ninth inning began with a fielding error by second baseman Colt Keith. He booted a ball up that middle that he should’ve easily fielded, allowing the go-ahead run to reach base. Foley imploded under pressure, as the next two batters reached safely with a walk and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.

That’s when the Tigers called Miller out of the bullpen.

Miller induced a grounder that led to a force out at home plate for the first out in the ninth inning, but he failed to put away Canha after getting ahead in the count. Canha refused to chase and when he got a middle-middle fastball from Miller, he drove the ball to deep left field for a game-ending sacrifice fly.

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Fumbling the no-hit bid

The first hit for the Giants occurred when Tyler Fitzgerald attacked a two-strike fastball from Maeda. He redirected the ball up the middle and into center field for a ground-ball single.

After another single, Fitzgerald scored from third base on a sacrifice fly from Michael Conforto for the Giants’ first run of the game, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 2-1.

What happened in the eighth inning was eerily similar to what happened in the seventh, with another round of back-to-back singles before a sacrifice fly. This time, Canha delivered the leadoff single against Maeda. He came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Patrick Bailey, making it 2-2.

Right-handed reliever Beau Brieske, serving as the starter for the bullpen-only game, worked around a two-out walk in the first inning, but other than that mistake, he was perfect. He registered five strikeouts across three scoreless innings, throwing 49 pitches.

Maeda, a 36-year-old veteran, covered the next 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs on four hits and zero walks with two strikeouts. He owns a 6.59 ERA in 21 games (16 starts), but he has improved significantly since getting reassigned to the bullpen.

Two runs

The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning, facing left-hander Robbie Ray.

Gio Urshela ripped a double to left field and advanced to third base on a wild pitch when Ray walked Wenceel Pérez, then he scored on Ryan Vilade’s sacrifice fly.

The Tigers increased their lead to 2-0 when Javier Báez cranked a leadoff double, stole third base for his eighth steal of the season and scored easily on a throwing error by catcher Curt Casali.

Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young winner, surrendered two runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts across six innings, throwing 105 pitches.

The Tigers finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

“We had plenty of opportunities,” Hinch said. “Part of the goal tonight against Ray was to make him work. Their bullpen was in a really tough spot, and we knew if we could get to them, they were going to have a hard time without the full use of their bullpen.”

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.

· Home Opener presented by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar set for Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. Penguins

· Red Wings home for 22 weekend games at Little Caesars Arena

· Thanksgiving Eve game vs. Flames; New Year’s Eve game vs. Penguins

·  Fans can move to top of 2025-26 Winged Wheel Nation waitlist by purchasing 10-game plan for upcoming 2024-25 season

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today announced single-game tickets for the highly anticipated 2024-25 season at Little Caesars Arena will go on sale Monday, August 12 at 10 a.m. at DetroitRedWings.com/Tickets.

“The home opener at Little Caesars Arena is just two months away, and much like our fans, we’re excited about the return of Red Wings hockey,” said Ryan Gustafson, President and CEO, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. “Single-game tickets will be in high demand, so we encourage our fans to secure their seats. The energy at the arena last season was at an all-time high, and we know the Hockeytown faithful will continue to create a tremendous home-ice advantage for our players.”

Little Caesars Arena will host 22 weekend games, including five on Friday nights, 10 games on Saturdays and seven contests on Sundays.

The Red Wings will host nine games against Original Six rivals, including two games each against the Rangers (Thursday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 9), Bruins (Saturday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, March 29), Maple Leafs (Saturday, Dec. 14 and Friday, Dec. 27) and Canadiens (Friday, Dec. 20 and Thursday, Jan. 23). The Blackhawks will visit Little Caesars Arena on Friday, Jan. 10.

Following the season opener on Oct. 10, the Red Wings will play six of their next 10 games at Little Caesars Arena, including Saturday, Oct. 12 against the Predators. Detroit will entertain the Flames for the annual Thanksgiving Eve game on Wednesday, Nov. 27. The month of December will feature the Red Wings hosting nine games, including six-of-seven at Little Caesars Arena from Dec. 18 through the annual New Year’s Eve game (Dec. 31) against the Penguins. Other notable matchups include the defending Western Conference-champion Oilers visiting Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, Oct. 27, the Utah Hockey Club’s first-ever visit to Detroit on Thursday, March 6 and a clash with the defending Stanley Cup-champion Panthers on Sunday, April 6.

The 2024-25 promotional giveaway schedule, in addition to theme nights, will be announced in the coming weeks. Red Wings fans are encouraged to follow @DetroitRedWings on social media and visit DetroitRedWings.com for specific details and to sign up for “Red Wings Weekly,” the club’s weekly email newsletter.

Four 10-Game Plans Now Available

The Red Wings have four 10-Game Plans for the 2024-25 season, presented by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Plans start at just $49 per game.

Hockeytown Plan: Six weekend games, including a Saturday matchup against the Maple Leafs.

Thanksgiving Eve Plan: Featuring the Thanksgiving Eve game, five weekend games and March 6 game vs. Utah.

Showtime Plan: Enjoy a weekend matchup with the Maple Leafs among five weekend games as fans can watch Patrick Kane’s first full season as a member of the Red Wings.

New Year’s Eve Plan: Fans can ring in 2025 with a Dec. 31 matchup against the Penguins, and rivalry games against the Avalanche, Canadiens and Bruins.

Visit DetroitRedWings.com/10GamePlans to learn more and choose your plan today.

2025-26 Winged Wheel Nation Season Ticket Memberships Waitlist

Winged Wheel Nation is the Detroit Red Wings’ Season Ticket Membership Program. Designed with your unique needs and interests in mind, Winged Wheel Nation membership offers unprecedented inside access, unforgettable experiences and exclusive benefits for the Red Wings’ most loyal fans on a year-round basis.

For as low as $50 per seat, fans can join the Winged Wheel Nation Waitlist for the 2025-26 season. The Winged Wheel Nation Waitlist provides priority to select season ticket locations when they become available. Fans can jump the waitlist for 2025-26 Winged Wheel Nation memberships by purchasing a 10-Game Plan for the 2024-25 season.

All members enjoy year-round benefits, including access to a flexible payment plan, a ticket exchange program, invitations to VIP events and much more. Fans can choose from multiple membership types tailored to their schedule and fandom. Learn more about becoming a member by visiting DetroitRedWings.com/WingedWheelNation or by calling the Red Wings’ Ticket Sales & Service Office at 313-471-7575.

NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1

The Red Wings will face the Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio as part of the NHL’s 2025 Stadium Series. Red Wings fans can purchase tickets on September 18 to sit in the Wings’ fan section at the neutral-site game at “The Shoe.” To learn more about the game and tickets, click here.