Detroit Tigers' Javier Báez hits clutch late-game home run for 3-1 win over Boston Red Sox

Javier Báez took a swing.

On a 2-2 fastball from Boston Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier, the Detroit Tigers' new shortstop deposited the ball into the stands beyond the left-field wall, and beyond the bullpen, in the eighth inning.

The two-run home run from Báez, who signed a six-year, $140 million contract this offseason, traveled 396 feet and provided a 3-1 win for the Tigers in Monday's series opener against the Red Sox at Comerica Park.

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Left-handed closer Gregory Soto pitched the ninth inning and notched his first save of the season.

The Báez blast snapped a 1-all tie.

The Tigers stormed out to an early lead, but Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez, a Tiger from 2014-17, crushed a game-tying solo home run in the fifth inning off right-hander Matt Manning.

Martinez's home run marked Manning's lone blemish in his season debut. The 24-year-old was brilliant in the 19th start of his MLB career, holding the Red Sox to one run across six innings. He produced two strikeouts, without conceding a walk.

Light rain was steady throughout the first 4½ innings, but the weather did not force a delay.

Red Sox starter Michael Wacha countered Manning with 4⅓ innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and three walks with four strikeouts. The Tigers loaded the bases against Wacha in the first inning, thanks to Austin Meadows' single, Báez's walk and Jeimer Candelario's walk.

Miguel Cabrera's sacrifice fly put the Tigers ahead 1-0.

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In the sixth, Cabrera registered the 2,990th hit of his 20-year MLB career with a double to right field off Red Sox righty reliever Matt Barnes. He has 598 doubles, as well.

Cabrera upped his career hit total to 2,991 with a single in the eighth.

Best start of Manning's career

The secrets to Manning's dominance: first-pitch strikes and fastball command.

He threw eight pitches (for eight strikes) in the first inning to set the tone, recording his first strikeout when Rafael Devers went down swinging at an elevated 96 mph four-seam fastball.

Manning picked up his second and final strikeout in the fourth inning, punching out Xander Bogaerts with an elevated 96.3 mph fastball. The second-year righty, who had a 5.80 ERA in 18 starts last season, ended his start with seven pitches (for seven strikes) in the sixth inning.

Manning tossed 13 first-pitch strikes to the 19 batters he faced, only twice falling behind 2-0 in the count: Jackie Bradley Jr. (groundout) in the third inning and Alex Verdugo (groundout) in the fifth.

Verdugo, in the fifth, followed Martinez's solo home run by taking Manning to a 3-0 count. But the Tigers' pitcher responded with three consecutive fastballs in the strike zone, the last of which produced a groundout.

For his 68 pitches (47 strikes), Manning used 41 four-seam fastballs (60%), 10 sliders (15%), eight curveballs (12%), six sinkers (9%) and three changeups (4%). He earned six swings and misses — five with his four-seamer — and 12 called strikes, including three with his slider and two with his curveball.

His fastball averaged 93.7 mph and maxed out at 97.3 mph.

After Manning

Right-handed reliever Alex Lange took over for Manning to start the seventh inning and didn't miss a beat.

Lange, who tossed 10 of 14 pitches for strikes, worked around a leadoff single from Devers by striking out Bogaerts (swinging, 87.6 mph slider) and Martinez (looking, 87.1 mph slider). Verdugo flied out to deep right field for the third out.

Righty Michael Fulmer pitched a scoreless eighth, firing 10 of 16 pitches for strikes. Vazquez hit a leadoff single, but Fulmer answered with three outs in a row, including a swinging strikeout of Travis Shaw with a mid-80s changeup.

Soto pitched the ninth, allowing a two-out double to Devers.

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.

Next up: Red Sox

Matchup: Tigers (2-2) vs. Boston (1-3).

First pitch: 1:10 p.m. Tuesday; Comerica Park, Detroit.

TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).

Probable pitchers: Tigers — LHP Tyler Alexander (2-4, 3.81 ERA in 2021); Red Sox — LHP Rich Hill (7-8, 3.86 ERA in 2021).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Javier Baez blasts Detroit Tigers to 3-1 win over Boston Red Sox