Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch Doesn't Mince Words After Another Gut-Wrenching Loss
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The month of May has been nothing short of a disaster for the Detroit Tigers. They have found so many ways to lose different games. Going into Saturday afternoon's game at Rate Field, the Tigers are 6-20 in May.
Keeping with the theme of gut-wrenching losses just this month, Detroit suffered another one against the Chicago White Sox, of all teams, on Friday night. If there was any way to sum up what has been a tough month for A.J. Hinch's club, it was Friday night.
Leading 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers allowed the game-tying run on a throwing error from Spencer Torkelson. Rikuu Nishida dropped down a bunt, but Chicago's Andrew Benintendi didn't break for the plate right away. Instead, he broke after pitcher Kyle Finnegan threw to first base for the out and Torkelson's throw home sailed away.
To add more insult to injury, after Detroit grabbed a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th on a Zack Short sacrifice-fly, the Tigers suffered more heartbreak in the bottom of the 10th. Miguel Vargas launched his 13th home run of the season for a 4-3 walk-off win. Another loss in what is becoming something you need to see to believe. After the game, Hinch didn't mince words about another walk-off loss.
Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch Discusses Another Walk-Off Loss
Incredibly, it was the seventh walk-off loss for the Tigers in 2026 in just 58 games. Some teams don't have seven walk-off losses in a whole season.
“There’s no good way to walk off the field,” Hinch said. “When you’re the visiting team and you’re walking off the field, the emotion’s pretty, pretty deep. It’s not a great feeling, and we have to go home with it and come back tomorrow ready to play another game.”
Each walk-off loss has its own frustration. No two are ever the same. Against the White Sox, Detroit fell to 22-26 this season and they remained in the basement of the American League Central Division.
They also spoiled a tremendous outing from right-hander Troy Melton. The 25-year-old went seven innings, scattering six hits and allowing one run. He only struck out one and walked one, but his control was on point and needed 89 pitches to get through the seven innings.
There really isn't much you can say at this point if you're Hinch and the Tigers. You just have to move on to the next game. That's the beauty of baseball: There is very little time to dwell on what happened before you move on. However, Detroit has found that out too many times in 2026.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.