DETROIT — The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the second inning when left fielder Rob Refsnyder couldn’t catch Trey Sweeney’s 338-foot two-run double.
Refsnyder jumped to try to make the catch when he still had room before reaching the wall and the ball went off his glove.
“Can’t make mistakes when the best pitcher in the game is on the mound,” Refsnyder said.
Detroit ace Tarik Skubal took advantage after Refsnyder’s mistake gave him a lead. The lefty threw 8 dominant innings and the Tigers won 2-1 over the Red Sox here at Comerica Park on Saturday.
“I should catch that every time,” Refsnyder said. “I apologized to Nick (Pivetta). Disappointed that I didn’t catch it. … The wind took it a lot further than I thought. But yeah, that’s all on me and I should have caught it.”
Manager Alex Cora added, “The ball took off. He just missed it and they took a gamble with the runner at second.”
Pivetta allowed two runs, six hits and one walk while striking out six in 6 innings. Two mistakes on Sweeney’s double hurt him.
Zach McKinstry, the runner at second, initially held up to see if Refsnyder would catch it. He was only able to score because shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela wasn’t aware McKinstry was trying to score. Rafaela received the cutoff throw from Refsnyder but didn’t throw it home immediately.
Cora said Tigers third base coach Joey Cora, his brother, is very aggressive.
“And sometimes he makes decisions based on catching people off guard,” Cora said. “In that one, not every third base coach will send that runner. We knew that coming in, of course. But just an aggressive send and it paid off for them.”
Skubal recorded 16 swings and misses, including seven with his changeup. The hard-throwing southpaw topped out at 99.5 mph.
“Skubal’s arguably the best pitcher in the game and can’t make mistakes like that,” Refsnyder added about his misplay. “He shoved after that. He had a lot of pitches working. Shadows were tough. Any pitcher is tough with the shadows but Skubal has probably the best stuff in the game. He had both fastballs working. He was up to 99. … Good changeup, cutter, slider.”
