Kinsler thrives under pressure in Tigers' walk-off victory over Twins
DETROIT -- Ian Kinsler understands pressure situations and thrives on them. Angel Nesbitt is learning to do that.
Friday night against the Kansas City Royals was a very similar situation to Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Twins.
On Friday, Anthony Gose led off the bottom of the ninth with a double. Kinsler came in to bunt him over but realized he might be able to reach first and Yohan Pino threw wildly, letting Gose score the walk-off run.
On Tuesday, Gose hit a one-out double in the bottom of the 10th. Kinsler came in and hit a base hit to center field, driving in Gose for a 2-1 victory.
"He's a gamer," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "He's always in the game, whether it's on defense, on the bases, in the dugout, in the batter's box. There's no point in the game where Ian Kinsler isn't thinking about baseball, and the game in front of him."
Gose had just as much praise for Kinsler as Ausmus did.
"We all know what Miggy (Cabrera) can do and Victor (Martinez), but Kinsler, he's the backbone of this team," Gose said. "He really is. He goes out there every day and plays hard and gives you a great at-bat every time. He's been doing it for a long time."
It's not common to be involved in two walk-offs in the span of four games, but that doesn't surprise Kinsler's teammates.
"That's the kind of player he is," said J.D. Martinez, who hit his seventh homer for the Tigers' first run. "He's been in that situation before. It's not his first time being in a situation like that."
It would not have been all that surprising if rookie reliever Angel Nesbitt was a little afraid of some of the high-pressure situations he's faced lately.
Sunday night on national television, Nesbitt came out for the 10th inning as he did Tuesday night.
But the other night, Nesbitt hit Alex Gordon, threw a wild pitch that allowed Gordon to take second and eventually gave up a sacrifice fly for what turned out to be the winning run in a 2-1 game.
On Tuesday, Aaron Hicks led off the top of the 10th with an infield single.
Danny Santana tried to bunt Hicks over but instead popped it up and Nesbitt caught it as the infielders gathered around him.
Nesbitt then struck out Brian Dozier to end the inning as catcher James McCann threw out Hicks trying to steal.
"He was excellent tonight, especially recovering after the infield single," Ausmus said. "I think he's shown us he's capable of handling tighter baseball situations for a young pitcher."
It's not just pressure situations within the game, the pressure is on for the Tigers to win, make the playoffs and be successful in the postseason.
Nesbitt is pitching for a good team with high expectations.
"He's really come into himself as far as wanting the ball in big situations," McCann said. "He obviously has the stuff to be that kind of a guy, but he's really pitched himself into that type of a guy."
With Gose and Kinsler's heroics in the bottom of the 10th, Nesbitt earned his first win one game after taking his first loss.
"You see what happened Sunday -- I lose Sunday, and today I win," Nesbitt said. "We just have to play every day.
"I feel great. This is my first win, and I was looking for that. I was put in a couple situations like this, and I was like 'OK, get me win, get me win.'"
Nesbitt now has experienced both sides of being a late-inning reliever.
"I come in here, and (Justin) Verlander, and David Price, Anibal (Sanchez) -- they take beer, and pour it all over me," Nesbitt said.
"But I feel great. It's beautiful."
