Good Pitching Wasted by Dead Tiger Bats
C.J. Nitkowski allowed just one earned run and three total runs in 6 innings of work, but the big bats of the Tigers could not surmount that amount of runs. Oakland's Hudson held the Tigers hitless until the seventh inning when Tony Clark broke the no hitter. The Tigers only run did not come until the ninth following another Clark hit which advanced Palmer to third. Palmer then scored on an Isringhausen wild pitch.
Tigers Win Opener4/3/00
Monday night the Tigers defeated the Oakland Athletics in the season opener 7 - 4 behind a strong 7 inning outing by free agent aquisition Hideo Nomo. Nomo only allowed 3 hits, although all 3 were solo home run shots by Giamibi, Stairs, and Menechino.
The Tigers in turn scored 2 in the second, 4 in the fourth off of a 3 run error on a Bobby Higginson popup, and 1 more in the eigth. The only other A's hit of the night was Giambi's second solo home run in the eighth off Doug Brocail. Todd Jones pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
At one point in the first inning after allowing a home run, Nomo walked 2 straight batters and appeared frustrated at umpire Montague for not calling low strikes. Garner came out and calmed Nomo down, then talked to Montague. Whatever Phil said must've worked as Nomo nevered let the A's back into the game afterward. Perhaps this is one reason Nomo followed Garner to the Tigers.
