All Time ALDS Game 1 - Detroit @ Oakland

Hank Greenberg punctuated a four-run rally in the third inning with an opposite-field solo blast and the Detroit Tigers never looked back in a 9-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics in the first game of their ALDS.

In the home half of the first inning, Detroit starter Justin Verlander retired the first two hitters quite quickly but an innocuous free pass to Jimmie Foxx was a harbinger for an Oakland uprising.  Reggie Jackson stroked a bullet down the third base line that was knocked down by Miguel Cabrera but he was unable to recover to make a play on Jackson. Jason Giambi made Verlander pay with an RBI single. Tigers' right fielder Al Kaline had a chance to nail Foxx at the plate to end the inning but his throw was high causing Lance Parrish to leave his feet to gather the throw which allowed Foxx to slide under him. Mickey Cochrane and Sal Bando tacked on their own run-scoring base hits to put the Tigers in an early 3-0 hole.

After the dust cleared in a 32-pitch inning, the sellout crowd at Shibe Park enthusiastically yelled themselves hoarse in appreciation of the prompt response of the Oakland offense. The Game One venue was chosen as a nod to the A's past as the club was one of the original American League charter franchises founded in 1901 in Philadelphia.

In the third inning, Tigers' shortstop Alan Trammell ignited another two-out rally by clubbing a three-run blast over the right field fence to even the score. Greenberg's homer followed as the Tigers went back-to-back to take the lead. 

Trammell spearheading the Tigers' comeback

Detroit added on single runs in each of the next two innings with one of them coming on a solo home run by Ty Cobb. That closed the book on Oakland starter Lefty Grove. Detroit put the game out of reach in the eighth tacking on three more runs in another two-out rally with Catfish Hunter falling prey to a hungry Tiger offense. Once again, Trammell and Cobb were the catalysts as Trammell collected his fourth RBI of the game, and Cobb smacked a two-run single.

Verlander did settle in and gave Detroit 6 innings of work. Despite surrendering four runs, he only allowed one in his last five innings while striking out four Athletics. Charlie Gehringer was a force out of the ninth spot in a steep Detroit lineup going 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored.