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Detroit Tigers starter Kenta Maeda gives up three home runs in 10-2 loss to Yankees
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- Detroit Tigers starter Kenta Maeda gives up three home runs in 10-2 loss to Yankees
TAMPA — The Detroit Tigers lost 10-2 against the New York Yankees on Monday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which will be home to the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2025 season.
Detroit is 7-8 in Grapefruit League play.
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What happened
Right-hander Kenta Maeda has walked one batter and struck out 19 batters in 12⅔ innings across four games (three starts) in spring training, as he competes for the final spot in the Opening Day starting rotation .
He also has a 5.68 ERA.
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Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenta Maeda throws against Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of a Grapefruit League game at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
Maeda allowed three home runs to the Yankees in the first inning, all to right-center field and aided by the wind: Austin Wells hit a 90.1 mph fastball, Paul Goldschmidt hit an 84.1 mph slider, and Trent Grisham hit a 92.1 mph fastball.
None of the homers were no-doubters.
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"It's hard to evaluate on a day like today," manager A.J. Hinch said, "because I think he did get a little bit of bad luck with balls in the air. He did miss a few bats. He did have a few deep counts. It's a mixture of everything, but we'll take the good."
The Wells home run would've been a homer in two of 30 MLB ballparks (the other being Angel Stadium), the Goldschmidt homer would've been a homer in none of the other 29 ballparks, and the Grisham homer would've been a homer in two of 30 ballparks (the other being Yankee Stadium).
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Starting off
Facing the Yankees, Maeda allowed five runs on seven hits and zero walks with five strikeouts across four innings. The 36-year-old, whose first-pitch fastball resulted in a leadoff home run, threw 41 of 61 pitches for strikes.
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"With that first leadoff homer, the way the ball sounded off the bat, the reaction of the hitter," Maeda said in Japanese, interpreted by Daichi Sekizaki, "we all thought it was going to be out, and then the wind just kind of took it."
After the three homers, the Yankees tacked on two runs with two outs in the third inning, as Dominic Smith took advantage of Maeda's hanging sweeper for a two-run double.
The highlight from Maeda: Two strikeouts against two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge . In the first inning, Judge struck out swinging on a splitter in the dirt, and in the third, he struck out looking on a fastball on the outside edge.
Maeda threw 24 splitters, 11 four-seam fastballs, 10 sweepers, seven sinkers, five curveballs and four sliders. He generated eight misses on 30 swings for a 26.7% whiff rate, including seven whiffs on 13 swings against his splitter.
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His fastball averaged 91.1 mph.
"I think the way he finished was obviously better than it started, both from an execution standpoint and a results standpoint," Hinch said. "That was encouraging. Him getting through his entire outing was a positive."
At the plate
The Tigers finished with five hits and two walks.
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Gleyber Torres , an ex-Yankee who started at second base, drove in both runs with a double to left field, scoring Dillon Dingler (walk) and Ryan Kreidler (error). He hit a down-and-in sinker from right-hander Will Warren .
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Kerry Carpenter finished 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.
On the mound
Right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle made his spring training debut — facing his former team — after signing a one-year, $7.75 million contract in the offseason. The 35-year-old retired all three batters he faced with one strikeout in the sixth inning.
Kahnle threw seven of 11 pitches for strikes.
"He's been leaned on a lot as a reliever over the years, especially last year when he was pitching in late October, early November," Hinch said. "The thought is to give him a little bit of a slower spring training, but we got to press the go button because we're two weeks away from the season. This was all on purpose. Now he's going to be on a regular schedule as he would any spring."
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The Yankees scored two runs off left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin — who walked all three batters — in the fifth inning, then two runs off right-handed reliever Jason Foley in the seventh inning.
Chafin, making his second relief appearance this spring, averaged 88.5 mph with his sinker — significantly lower than his 91.7 mph average last season. His sinker was so slow that it registered as a changeup on Statcast.
His sinker velocity needs to increase to at least 91 mph.
"He has a few outings to get built up," Hinch said, "but there's always the calendar that you're concerned about. We're going to have to see him continue to get some progress."
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Three stars
1. Torres.
2. Kahnle.
3. Carpenter.
Next up
Tuesday vs. Atlanta Braves in North Port.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kenta Maeda gives up three home runs in Tigers' 10-2 loss to Yankees
