Gage Workman hit a two-run home run in his MLB debut, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals and avoiding a series sweep.
Key points
Gage Workman made his MLB debut
He hit a two-run home run
The Tigers won 6-3 against the Royals
The victory avoided a series sweep
The win snapped a five-game losing streak
Detroit TigersKansas City RoyalsGage WorkmanNick Mears
KANSAS CITY, MO – Making his Detroit Tigers debut, Gage Workman stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter with a runner on first base and one out in the sixth inning.
The 26-year-old pulled a third-pitch, down-and-in slider from right-handed reliever Nick Mears.
The ball landed in the seats in right field.
A two-run homer from Workman sparked the Tigers in a 6-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, May 10, in the finale of the three-game series at Kauffman Stadium, avoiding a sweep while snapping a five-game losing streak.
Detroit Tigers Zack Short (15) scores during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
Detroit Tigers Zack Short (15) scores during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
The Tigers (19-22) don't play Monday after losing two of three games to the Royals (19-22), the second leg of two off days in a five-day stretch. The six-game road trip continues Tuesday (7:10 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) with a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
The two-run home run to break a tie marked Workman's first homer, and came in the 13th game of his MLB career. (He previously played nine games for the Chicago Cubs and three games for the Chicago White Sox, all in 2025.)
Before that swing, the Tigers and Royals traded three runs – first the Tigers, then the Royals – throughout the second, third and fourth innings.
The Tigers took a 3-0 lead against left-hander Noah Cameron, who allowed three runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts across four innings.
A leadoff single from Riley Greene – extending his on-base streak to a career-high 21 games – created an opportunity for all three runs in the second inning.
The Tigers capitalized.
With two outs, Hao-Yu Lee delivered an RBI triple off Cameron's middle-middle fastball and Matt Vierling provided a two-RBI double off Cameron's down-and-in cutter.
Detroit Tigers center fielder Matt Vierling (8) hits a double during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
Detroit Tigers center fielder Matt Vierling (8) hits a double during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
The Royals responded with three runs against right-handed reliever Drew Anderson, scoring twice in the third inning and once in the fourth inning.
In the third, the top of the Royals' lineup collected three hits in a row with a double from Maikel Garcia, a single from Bobby Witt Jr. and an RBI single from Vinnie Pasquantino. With one out, Carter Jensen added a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 3-2.
They tied the game, 3-3, in the fourth, thanks to Jac Caglianone's leadoff double and Garcia's two-out RBI single.
Anderson impressed with a 41.2% whiff rate, but he surrendered three runs on five hits and zero walks with four strikeouts across two innings, throwing 39 pitches. He has a 5.56 ERA over 22⅔ innings in 13 relief appearances.
Oh, that bullpen
It was a traditional bullpen-only game for the Tigers, who used six relievers to get to the finish line.
Here's how it happened: right-hander Brenan Hanifee (two outs), left-hander Brant Hurter (four outs), Anderson (six outs), left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus (seven outs), right-hander Kyle Finnegan (five outs) and right-hander Kenley Jansen (three outs).
The Tigers extended their lead to 6-3 on back-to-back hits from Greene (double) and Wenceel Pérez (RBI single), facing left-handed reliever Daniel Lynch IV.
Protecting a three-run lead, Finnegan entered the game with one out in the seventh inning. He walked the Garcia on four pitches, then escaped when Witt grounded into an inning-ending double play. He also escaped a one-out walk in the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Michael Massey bounced into a double play.
On the Witt double play, Workman started it with clean defense at third base.
Both double plays involved McKinstry at second base.
For the ninth inning, a well-rested Jansen appeared in his second game in 11 days and slammed the door on the Royals. The 38-year-old recorded three outs in a row for the 483rd save of his 17-year MLB career.
