Major League Baseball

White Sox outfielder Coats debuts, injured in loss to Tigers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:04 p.m. ET

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DETROIT (AP) Jason Coats, like all baseball players, had spent years hoping he would have an exciting debut in the big leagues.

Saturday didn't go quite the way the Chicago White Sox newcomer planned.

Coats did OK at the plate, going 0 for 1 with a walk and getting on base when he was hit by a pitch. But the left fielder had to leave early after an outfield collision in a 7-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

''I'm good, nothing too serious. I just needed some stitches inside my lip, but everything else is fine,'' he said. ''It isn't exactly what I wanted, but I'm still happy I got to go out there today.''

Called up from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day, Coats had just caught Miguel Cabrera's line drive into the gap in the seventh inning when he hit center fielder J.B. Shuck at high speed. Coats was able to get up and throw the ball back into the infield before going back to the ground.

Coats needed five stitches in his mouth, but passed concussion tests and was listed as day to day. He was able to walk off the field on his own power.

''I'm just happy I caught it and threw it back in, that's what matters,'' he said. ''I just got knocked on the chin, but all good.''

Chris Sale and the White Sox led 2-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, but Victor Martinez singled with one out and J.D. Martinez launched a long homer over the Chicago bullpen.

That gave Mike Pelfrey, who had already been informed that he was done for the night, a shot at his first win since Aug. 12.

''That was pretty exciting,'' Pelfrey said. ''I thought my luck was finally going to change.''

Pelfrey got to sit back and enjoy the show as the Tigers added another run in the seventh and three more in the eighth. Mark Lowe gave up a pair of runs in the ninth, but Francisco Rodriguez closed out the 7-4 win.

''That felt really good,'' said Pelfrey, still wiping the remnants of a beer shower out of his eyes. ''That's my first one in Detroit, and the guys made sure to celebrate with me.''

Pelfrey had gone 18 starts without a win since beating the Texas Rangers, and had gone 0-5 in his first 10 outings with the Tigers. He allowed two runs on five hits and three walks in six innings, striking out three.

During the game, the White Sox announced they had acquired former All-Star pitcher James Shields and cash from San Diego for two players.

Sale (9-2) failed again to become the first 10-game winner in the majors. He allowed four runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings, and is now 0-2 in his last three starts.

''I felt fine, but I was just erratic with my command,'' he said. ''After the first inning, I was keeping the ball down, but I left one up to J.D. and it didn't come back.''

Victor Martinez went 2 for 2 with a walk against Sale, and is now hitting .500 (18-36) against the Chicago ace in his career.

For Detroit's annual Negro League Tribute game, the Tigers wore Detroit Stars jerseys while the White Sox were dressed as the Chicago American Giants.

The White Sox started the game with three hits to take a 1-0 lead, but Todd Frazier rounded first too far on his RBI single and was thrown out.

Rain fell through much of the game, and had gotten slightly heavier when Martinez homered off Sale to give the Tigers the lead, but the game was never interrupted.

''When we made Sale throw 30-some pitches in the first inning, I was encouraged, because we thought there would be a delay at some point,'' Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. ''It never got that bad, but we beat him anyway.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Tigers: Cabrera was back in the lineup after leaving Friday's game in the eighth inning with back stiffness. ... Ausmus confirmed that RHP Shane Greene, activated from the disabled list before the game, will pitch out of the bullpen to try to protect him from future blisters.

ALI TRIBUTE

The Tigers held a moment of silence before the game for Muhammad Ali, who spent much of his later life living in southwest Michigan. Fittingly, the honor came during the Negro Leagues Tribute Weekend, another celebration of African-American athletes who fought segregation.

Before the moment of silence, the crowd gave a standing ovation during the reading of a long Ali quote about life.

UP NEXT

The teams finish their three-game series Sunday afternoon with Jose Quintana (5-5, 2.13) facing Justin Verlander (4-5, 4.11). Quintana is 7-5 with a 1.92 ERA in his last 16 starts, dating back to last August.

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