Short’s homer lifts Tigers to exhibition victory
Kingston High grad belts three-run shot in Detroit’s exhibition game victory over Orioles
Kingston High graduate Zack Short hit his first homer of spring training on Sunday, belting a three-run shot that broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Detroit Tigers to a 5-1 exhibition game victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Short entered the game in the late innings at shortstop. His homer, with one out, came in the bottom of the eighth inning on the first pitch from Orioles righthanded pitcher Travis Lakins.
Detroit’s Harold Castro opened the eighth with a single to left. After Spencer Torkelson struck out, Dustin Garneau was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second for Short.
Short’s shot easily cleared the left-center field fence at Joker Marchant Stadium, the Tigers’ spring training park, to give Detroit a 4-1 lead. One out later, Detroit’s Akil Baddoo hit a solo homer to close out the scoring.
So far in spring training, Short, who wears No. 59, has played in six games, getting a single and a double as well as the homer, in five at-bats for a .600 batting average. He has also walked twice and struck out twice.
Sunday’s game was the first Short had played in since he was hit in the head by a pitch during a Thursday, March 4, game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He reported no aftereffects from that, but was sidelined several more days due to COVID-19
protocols, according to cbssports. com, which added that Short didn’t violate any rules.
Short, 25, has played second base as well as short for the Tigers during the exhibition season.
A 17th-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2016, Short went to the Tigers just before the trading deadline last August for outfielder Cameron Maybin. He was put on Detroit’s 40-man roster and was invited to Summer Camp in Toledo when the baseball season resumed, but was not called up.
The Tigers, who are 7-6 in Grapefruit League play, are scheduled to host the Blue Jays on Monday, March 15, in a 1:05 p.m. game.