Detroit, MI

Javier Báez continues to make magical moments for Detroit Tigers

Published

7 months ago

May 17, 2025

Press Room

Javier Báez continues to make magical moments for Detroit Tigers

Javier Báez had a spectacular defensive game for the Detroit Tigers in their 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Báez made a “Superman” catch in center field, doubling off a runner at first base.
He also hit a home run, his third in three games, and made another key defensive play in the ninth inning.

TORONTO — Just when you think that Javier Báez can’t top himself.

Just when you think: OK, there’s no way he has more magic inside that glove. Or maybe, inside his heart.

Well, he does something else. He tops himself — this time, making a spectacular “Superman”-style catch, adding yet another layer to this amazing comeback story. Look, it’s a bird … it’s a plane … nope, it’s just “El Mago” doing his thing.

“How special he’s been,” Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty said with pure admiration after Báez made play after play, in big moment after big moment, in a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on May 16. “It’s awesome.”

The first moment happened in the second inning. Toronto’s Addison Barger was on first after a Flaherty walk and Nathan Lukes drilled a ball into the right-center gap.

You could almost see Barger thinking: Oh, I might score. At the very least, I might end up on third.

But Baez made another amazing, jaw-dropping diving catch. He looked like Superman, flying through the air, his body parallel to the ground as he snagged the ball. Then, he made it even better. He sprang up and fired a perfect throw to Spencer Torkelson at first base, easily doubling Barger off.

El Mago.

The Magician — two for the price of one.

End of the inning.

Celebrate 125 seasons of Tigers magic!

“I saw him break and he had a pretty perfect angle at it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Then the layout, and I might be equally as impressed with the throw, just to be able to catch his breath for a second and get up and throw a one-hopper for the double play — impactful play, very big at the point of the game, to be able to end the inning, keep Jack’s pitch count down and kind of demoralize the other side.”

You almost forget that, for this converted Gold Glove shortstop, this was just his 22^nd game in center in the big leagues and he was out there, in the words of Hinch, showing “his athleticism in center field at a field he’s never played center field — pretty awesome stuff.”

The route was perfect. The read was perfect. The jump? Yeah, simply perfect. Báez caught the ball 340 feet from home plate and then he had the instincts to come up firing. Which is the only part that was not really surprising. Because he’s the most instinctual player on this team.

“I was surprised with the catch, honestly,” Báez said. “As soon as I caught it, I saw he was kind of flying. So I kind of made sure that it was a good throw.”

He kind of shrugged. It’s like he surprises himself sometimes. Like the magician doesn’t know the tricks until he pulls the magic from the hat.

But that moment did so many things for the Tigers.

First of all, he single-handedly saved a seriously stressful moment for Flaherty. At worst, the Blue Jays would have had runners on second and third with one out. And it saved pitches on Flaherty’s arm.

“I want to talk about Javy,” Flaherty said, after earning an encouraging outing. “He comes here and struggles for two years. But it just it goes to show that you can’t write guys off or give up on guys, especially a guy like that, who is as talented as anybody who has probably ever played this game.”

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Yes, Flaherty was thankful for Báez. But it resonated far deeper than that. Flaherty completely appreciates how Báez has gone through the fire and come out the other side, finding the magic again.

“It’s in there, it doesn’t just go away,” Flaherty said.

Flaherty appreciates everything about Báez : the work he’s done behind the scenes and the adjustments he’s made and how he has embraced playing center. “I’m so happy for him, and it’s awesome to see,” Flaherty said. “It’s also a testament to who he is and how much work he’s put behind everything — no matter who wants to try to write you off, or what they have to say.”

Hinch wants his players to find a way to contribute to a win, either at the plate or in the field. And Báez certainly did that and more.

Because in the top of the eighth, the game was getting tight after the Blue Jays had pulled to 4-3.

But there is something important we are learning about Báez. Something fans in other places already knew: The bigger the moment, the better Báez plays. And he hit a 95 mph fastball, crushing it 408 feet to left-center for a home run, his third in three games and his sixth this season — as many as he had all of last year.

“He’s swung the bat pretty well to the pull side,” Hinch said. “He’s getting pitches to hit and we’ve always told him, or we’re telling him, that don’t you have to be perfect. Get a pitch to hit and and have a plan. He did and he didn’t miss.”

But Báez wasn’t done.

There was one final defensive play.

In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, Myles Straw hit a sinking liner to center field. But Báez came flying up, trying to catch it. He couldn’t get there in time. But more importantly, he didn’t let it get past him because the tying run was on base.

“If the ball gets past them, we’re probably still playing,” Hinch said.

And so, this amazing, magical season continues for Báez. He entered this game with a .309 batting average in 130 plate appearances — just a few short of the 140 currently required to qualify for the batting title. Still, he was ninth in average and tied for ninth with 27 RBIs. That was thanks to a 15-game stretch in which he hit .368 (21-for-57) with five homers, 15 runs and 23 RBIs for a 1.179 OPS since April 26. And then he homered against the Blue Jays.

Put another way: He’s just raking.

“It feels great, honestly,” Báez said, “to give something to the team.”

That’s not a throwaway line. It’s the essence of who he is. This is a magician who performs for others, not for himself.

Everything is for the team. For everyone else.

And that is why the better this team plays, the bigger the moment, the more magic comes out of Báez.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.

Order your copy of “Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!” by the Free Press at Tigers125.PictorialBook.com.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit family’s home damaged, Christmas gifts lost after fire spreads from vacant house

Published

3 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Detroit family’s home damaged, Christmas gifts lost after fire spreads from vacant house

DETROIT – Detroit fire officials are investigating multiple house fires that broke out Tuesday morning, including a blaze that destroyed two vacant homes and damaged one family’s home on Dwyer Street.

The fire started around 1 a.m. in a vacant house, leveling it before spreading to a neighboring vacant property and then damaging the home of Joel Whitner and his family.

Whitner described how his family woke up to the sound of neighbors pounding on their door.

“When we walked out the door, the wind gusts and the fire just kind of like blew us back,” Whitner said, describing the intensity of the blaze.

The family’s home has significant damage, including water damage throughout the interior and damage to the roof.

The family lost Christmas gifts, furniture, and clothing in the fire.

A GoFundMe has been started to help support the family.

In a separate incident around 3 a.m., firefighters responded to another residential fire on Ashland Street, where a family of 15 evacuated safely after a space heater caught fire in an upstairs bedroom and spread to the attic.

“I grabbed my fire extinguisher, and I started spraying it right there, and that made it go up more, so I ran to the attic and started spraying in the attic,” said Jerome Hill. “Keep a fire extinguisher by your bed because if I didn’t have that by my bed, there’s no telling what would’ve happened.”

It comes after a house fire that killed a 6-year-old girl on Sunday (Dec. 14) and another fire that killed three on Monday.

Fire officials say space heaters are responsible for four out of five home heating-related fire deaths.

The Detroit Fire Department is reminding families of home heating safety tips.

Captain Edward Davis emphasized the importance of having a safety plan in place in case of an emergency.

“You want to create a fire safety plan for your home in the event of an emergency,” Davis said. “What are two ways to get out of the room, out of the home – where are our families meeting up? How do we alert other members in the home?”

The department’s safety guidelines for space heaters include:

Place heaters on flat, stable surfaces
Keep heaters at least three feet away from combustible items
Plug heaters directly into wall outlets
Turn off heaters when leaving rooms or going to sleep
Keep heaters clear of walkways and exits

The department is also reminding families of important carbon monoxide safety tips:

Install carbon monoxide alarms low to the ground, near gas furnaces, dryers, or heaters.
Test CO detectors monthly and replace them every five to seven years.
Avoid using a stove, oven, or grill as a heat source.
Keep gas and charcoal grills outdoors only—never in garages or enclosed spaces.
Hire only qualified professionals to inspect or repair heating systems, fireplaces, and chimneys.

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Detroit, MI

4 dead, Detroit firefighter injured in slew of fires. What to know

Published

12 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

4 dead, Detroit firefighter injured in slew of fires. What to know

In three days, two fatal fires and multiple other fires were reported in Detroit.
An electrical incident is believed to have caused one fatal fire.
Fire officials ask that residents make fire safety plans and take precautions with devices like space heaters.
Those facing housing and heating concerns can call the Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine at 866-313-2520.

A fire that claimed three lives in Detroit began with an electrical incident, officials say. Now, in the wake of that deadly blaze, another fatal fire and multiple other recent blazes – including one that injured a firefighter − Detroit fire officials are urging residents to take fire safety steps this holiday season.

Four people died across two fires on Sunday, Dec. 14, and Monday, Dec. 15, in the city, and firefighters tackled three housefires that displaced residents in the early morning hours on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

A cause was not yet available for the Dec. 14 fire that killed a 7-year-old boy, originally reported by officials as a 6-year-old girl. That fire took place in the 12000 block of Rutherford Street, near Greenfield Road, and also left a woman critical and a 4-year-old with smoke inhalation.

In the case of the Dec. 15 fire, more details were beginning to emerge.

A man, a woman and a teen girl all died after a house fire reported about 6 a.m. in the 19000 block of Wildemere Street, near Detroit’s Palmer Park and off 7 Mile Road. An elderly woman was also critical after the fire.

Clutter in the house slowed down rescue efforts, officials previously said.

And speaking to the media on Tuesday, Dec. 16, Fire Investigation Division Chief Dennis Richardson said an electrical event caused the fire, and combustibles in the house contributed to the blaze.

The specifics of the electrical event are still being looked at, but Richardson said the house already had electrical issues, and it’s believed wiring played a role in the fire.

Fire department team members “hate seeing this,” and are trying to convey messages around fire safety this time of year, Richardson said.

A spike in fires

That message is one the department works to share months ahead of the holiday season, said Detroit Fire Marshal Donald Thomas. Headed into next year, the department hopes to use data to work with specific neighborhoods with vulnerable structures that see home heating and electrical fires.

“We do notice that there is a spike in some of the fires that we have during our colder season,” Thomas said.

While the causes are still under investigation, the department also saw multiple houses in flames on Dec. 16:

A fire was reported about 12:45 a.m. in the 19100 block of Dwyer Street, said Corey McIsaac, Detroit Fire Department media relations director. Firefighters arrived to find fire in one home, but it extended into four homes nearby. One home was occupied, but no one was injured.
A house fire was also reported just before 3 a.m. in the 19600 block of Charest Street, McIsaac said. Firefighters arrived to find all residents and dogs outside. The fire was put out but rekindled a little after 6 a.m. and was doused again.
Additionally, a fire was reported just before 3:10 a.m. in the 2100 block of Ashland Street, McIsaac said. The upstairs flat in the two-family home was on fire, and all residents were out when firefighters arrived. One firefighter was injured during the response but was released later in the day.

All displaced residents were connected to the American Red Cross or Detroit Housing Services for housing assistance, McIsaac said.

Fighting time

Fire can double itself every 30 seconds, so residents and responders are “fighting against time” when flames break out, said Detroit Fire Capt. Edward Davis of the Public Instruction Unit.

Steps he suggested to avoid a fire in the first place include:

Plugging space heaters directly into wall outlets instead of extension cords.
Not leaving space heaters unattended while sleeping or leaving the home.
Keeping space heaters on a flat surface and three feet away from clothing, paper products or other combustibles.
Keeping space heaters away from children and pets, as the little ones can knock the heaters over or get burned.
Not using ovens or stoves to heat a house.

Steps he recommended to prepare for safety during a fire included:

Having working smoke detectors and checking them every week.
Creating a fire safety plan that includes two routes of escape, where to meet and how to alert others in the house without risking personal injury. That last part could be done with whistles or air horns. Additionally, having a plan on how to shelter if escape isn’t possible. Sheltering could include closing a door to slow a fire’s progress.
Possessing fire extinguishers and knowing how to use them.
Possessing a ladder, if a resident wants, but being sure where it is and how to use it because of how quickly fire doubles.

The fire department also released additional information on getting fireplaces and furnaces inspected and avoiding the dangers of carbon monoxide in the winter months. For more safety suggestions and details on those, go to detroitmi.gov/fire.

In addition, those facing housing concerns, without proper heat, or displaced from the fires can reach out to the Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine at 866-313-2520.

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Detroit, MI

‘We stay praying about it:’ Suspect in deadly Detroit hit and run charged

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

‘We stay praying about it:’ Suspect in deadly Detroit hit and run charged

Man charged in deadly hit-and-run from 2024

It’s the first holiday without Darnell Scott, who was killed in a hit-and-run in the summer of 2024 on Detroit’s east side. You might remember this video, showing him getting hit and neither driver stopped.

DETROIT (FOX 2) – A Detroit man was run over not once, but twice, all on video. Many might remember the incident from last summer but on Monday there was a big break in the case.

Big picture view:

It’s the first holiday without Darnell Scott, who was killed in a hit-and-run in the summer of 2024 on Detroit’s east side. You might remember a video showing him getting hit and neither driver stopped.

These cases can be tough to solve, but the Detroit Police fatal squad painstakingly pieced together footage from Green Light cameras and license plate readers, leading them to Daryl Rice in November.

He is now charged and was given a personal bond, which means he’s out for now.

“I honestly didn’t give up hope because we stay praying about it,” said the victim’s twin sister, Dana Scott.

The family is sickened by the damning evidence. Apparently, Rice made a false insurance claim on his car after the hit-and-run, lied about how the damage happened, but in the process, police say he incriminated himself.

The family wants others to hold out hope.

“Don’t give up, because it can happen, your wishes and answers can come true,” said Dana.

Crime and Public SafetyDetroit

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