Tigers have final say in feisty win over White Sox

June 20, 2026 - 06:03

The Detroit Tigers edged out the Chicago White Sox in a tense and testy series opener, winning 3-1 on Tuesday night. The game was marked by a bench-clearing incident in the sixth inning after White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech threw a fastball behind Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo. Players from both dugouts rushed onto the field, but no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored.

The Tigers struck first in the third inning when Spencer Torkelson drove in a run with a double. Detroit added another run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Javier Baez. The White Sox answered in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run from Andrew Vaughn, cutting the lead to 2-1. Detroit got an insurance run in the seventh when Riley Greene scored on a wild pitch.

Tigers starter Eduardo Rodriguez pitched six strong innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven. He improved to 5-4 on the season. Closer Alex Lange worked a perfect ninth for his 10th save. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Detroit and gave them a boost heading into the rest of the series against their division rival.