Sawyer Gipson-Long strikes out 11, Detroit Tigers escape Angels, 5-4, in extra innings

Sawyer Gipson-Long joined Baseball Hall of Fame company.

Gipson-Long, making the second start of his MLB career, struck out 11 batters in the Detroit Tigers' 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels in 10 innings Saturday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

The 25-year-old right-hander became the third pitcher in franchise history to post double-digit strikeouts in one of his first two career starts, joining Jack Morris and Ralph Comstock. Morris, inducted into Cooperstown in 2018, struck out 11 batters across nine innings against the Texas Rangers on July 31, 1977.

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The Tigers (69-79) took a 3-0 lead against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson in the second inning, then let Gipson-Long (and two relievers out of the bullpen) take them through the eighth inning.

Everything fell apart in the bottom of the ninth inning, however.

"All is well that ends well," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

Right-handed reliever Alex Lange — called on to protect a 4-1 lead — surrendered a two-run home run to Jared Walsh with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Brett Phillips tied the game, 4-4, by hitting a solo homer with two outs and two strikes.

Walsh crushed Lange's curveball 407 feet to center field; Phillips blasted Lange's four-seam fastball 399 feet to center field. The home runs forced extra innings in Saturday's game.

In the 10th inning, Miguel Cabrera shot a fastball from right-handed reliever José Soriano into the right-field corner. Kerry Carpenter — the free runner in extras — scored from second for a 5-4 lead.

Cabrera finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. The 40-year-old, a future Hall of Famer, has 3,165 hits in his 21-year MLB career and is two hits away from passing Adrián Beltré for 17th on the all-time list.

Before Saturday's game, the Angels — represented by retired first baseman Albert Pujols and injured center fielder Mike Trout — honored Cabrera by gifting him a custom surfboard.

"Having Miggy up at that point is pretty incredible," Hinch told reporters in Anaheim. "He's going to take a shot to the right side to drive him in, and if not, he's going to move him over (to third base), which is how he was raised in the game. We can all learn something from an experienced hitter who knows how to conduct an at-bat."

Right-handed reliever Will Vest struck out pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar to open the bottom of the 10th. Nolan Schanuel reached safely on an infield single, but the Angels' free runner didn't advance to third base. Zach Neto struck out looking, and Brandon Drury lined out to the warning track in center field with a 109.5 mph exit velocity to end the game.

Vest tossed 14 of 19 pitches for strikes. Eight of those pitches were used to retire Drury for the final out.

Sawyer's strikeouts

In two starts, Gipson-Long owns a 2.70 ERA with three walks and 16 strikeouts across 10 innings. He allowed one run on two hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts in Saturday's start, throwing 53 of 82 pitches for strikes.

The 25-year-old struck out two in the first inning, two in the second inning, three in the third inning, three in the fourth inning and one in the fifth inning.

"Sawyer does his homework," Hinch said. "It's not by happenstance that he has a game plan and knows what he's trying to do. ... That even-keeled vibe that you get from him on the mound is because of that preparation."

He struck out five batters in a row over the third and fourth innings: Logan O'Hoppe (swinging, 85 mph changeup), Walsh (swinging, 85.3 mph changeup), Fletcher (foul tip, 87.2 mph changeup), Phillips (swinging, 84.5 mph slider) and Kyren Paris (swinging, 83.4 mph slider).

Before the strikeout streak, Schanuel — the No. 11 overall pick in the July 2023 draft — hit Gipson-Long's first-pitch 94.1 mph fastball for a 389-foot solo home run. It was the first home run of Schanuel's career in his 21st game, but the Tigers still controlled a 3-1 advantage in the third inning.

Gipson-Long struck out Neto, walked Drury, then went on his run of strikeouts.

He struck out Neto — the No. 13 overall pick in the 2022 draft — with an 85.2 mph changeup to finish the fifth inning and complete his outing. Gipson-Long threw 31 sliders (38%), 20 changeups (24%), 17 sinkers (21%) and 14 fastballs (17%).

The newcomer generated 23 whiffs with nine sliders, 10 changeups, two sinkers and two fastballs. He also logged 14 called strikes. The Angels, meanwhile, put just six balls in play against him.

"He was getting a ton of swing and miss on different pitches, which was the real key," Hinch said. "It wasn't like he stayed with one approach. He was mixing and matching, and punching guys out multiple times in different ways."

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Zack attack

The Tigers stranded two runners in scoring position in the first inning but didn't squander their opportunity in the second inning.

Tyler Nevin hit a double with his father, Angels manager Phil Nevin, watching from the opposing dugout. A rare walk from Javier Báez put two runners on base to apply pressure, which paid off when Zack Short hammered a middle-middle fastball.

Short launched Anderson's 89.6 mph fastball for a 400-foot home run. The three-run shot put the Tigers ahead, 3-0, in the second inning. Short has seven home runs in 98 games (55 starts) this season.

Anderson, who signed a three-year, $39 million contract in the offseason, allowed four runs on four hits and five walks with seven strikeouts over five innings, throwing 63 of 107 pitches for strikes. He has a 5.43 ERA in 27 games, and he has walked 64 batters in 141 innings.

Key tack-on run

The Tigers tacked on their fourth and final run in the fifth inning.

Anderson retired Andy Ibáñez (lineout) and Spencer Torkelson (strikeout), but Carpenter's five-pitch walk extended the inning. Cabrera, the next batter, popped a cutter at the bottom of the strike zone to shallow center field.

Three players from the Angels — the center fielder, shortstop and second baseman — converged on the shallow fly ball.

The ball deflected off the glove of a sliding Phillies and bounced away from all three defenders. The miscue from Phillips in center field let Carpenter score easily from first base for a 4-1 lead.

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

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers get gem from Sawyer Gipson-Long, beat Angels, 5-4 (10)