Kevin McGonigle is clutch: Inside epic 10-pitch battle that won game
· Yahoo Sports
SAN DIEGO – The moment still isn't too big for Kevin McGonigle.
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What should've been the first home run of his MLB career was robbed by San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill in the second inning, but the 21-year-old top prospect delivered when the Detroit Tigers needed him most in the eighth inning – driving in the go-ahead runs in a 5-2 win over the Padres on Friday, March 27, at Petco Park.
McGonigle won a 10-pitch battle in the biggest moment.
"I hit .219 for my career, so I can't really speak as a hitter," manager A.J. Hinch said. "Timing is everything for him, and pitch recognition is really good. There are some takes in there that I think get overlooked because they're just part of the at-bat. Knowledge of the strike zone – and the ability to spoil a few tough pitches, fight off some balls inside and stay in the at-bat – is one of the many reasons we love him."
Let's set the stage.
The game was tied, 2-2. The bases were loaded with two outs after walks from Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres and Colt Keith, followed by a game-tying infield single from Riley Greene – all against right-handed reliever Jeremiah Estrada. With McGonigle due up, the Padres turned to left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta for the favorable left-on-left matchup.
That's when the 10-pitch showdown began.
It lasted 5 minutes and 29 seconds.
"I saw him yesterday," said McGonigle, who pulled Peralta's inside sinker in Thursday's Opening Day win for a single, marking his fourth and final hit in his historic MLB debut. "I knew he was going to come inside against me. I saw every pitch he had yesterday, which helped me out."
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be quiet everyone my show is on pic.twitter.com/wdYCf8MzGO
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) March 28, 2026
Of the 10 pitches, Peralta threw five sinkers, four changeups and one slider.
McGonigle expected some changeups.
In 2025, Peralta featured a four-pitch mix against left-handed hitters, such as McGonigle: 52.9% sinkers, 31.3% sliders, 13.9% changeups and 2% fastballs. Lefties thrived against his changeup for contact and power in 2025, but they struggled against the offspeed weapon in every season from 2022-24.
During spring training, McGonigle hit .000 (0-for-10) with a 25% whiff rate against changeups/splitters, whereas he hit .318 with a 7% whiff rate against fastballs and .273 with a 24% whiff rate against sliders/curveballs.
"He does left-on-left changeups a good bit," McGonigle said. "I just went up there and knew I had to put a good at-bat together to help this team today, and thankfully, I did. The whole time, I was locked in and committed to my plan."
His plan?
"Go to war," McGonigle said.
The matchup between McGonigle and Peralta was interrupted after the sixth pitch, when home-plate umpire Lance Barrett took a foul ball of the face mask. The intense situation was paused as an athletic trainer from the Padres checked on him, along with the three other umpires.
"It didn't really affect anything," McGonigle said.
Here were the 10 pitches, in order: down-and-in changeup (foul), up-and-away sinker (ball), changeup in the dirt (ball), up-and-in sinker (foul), down-and-in changeup (foul), up-and-in sinker (foul), up-and-in sinker (foul), down-and-away slider (foul), changeup in the dirt (ball) and middle-middle sinker (single).
The single wasn't the most impressive result.
It was the ability to stay alive in the plate appearance by fouling the down-and-away slider, located way off the plate. He chased in a poor swing decision, but his elite bat-to-ball skills allowed him to make contact for a weak foul.
McGonigle didn't have an answer for what happened.
"Phew, I don't know," McGonigle said. "When I'm in that kind of mode, I get on the front half and try to foul every tough pitch off. I got the bat on that pitch and luckily fouled it off."
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Once McGonigle took the ninth-pitch changeup in the dirt, the count ran full with three balls and two strikes. The Padres didn't want to give up a walk with the bases loaded, so McGonigle knew Peralta would throw his next pitch inside the strike zone; he expected it to be a sinker.
"That's exactly what I thought," McGonigle said.
That's exactly what happened.
Ready to hit, McGonigle lined Peralta's 95.9 mph sinker into left-center field to drive in two runs for a 4-2 lead. The pitch was located in the middle of the strike zone, but a little bit on the inner half of the plate – just where the kid likes it.
It was an epic moment.
"I blacked out a little bit," McGonigle said. "It was a big spot."
"I'm proud of him because he's staying in the moment," Hinch said. "The moment is not too big. I've said that for six weeks. He's just continuing to compete."
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POV you’re in the dugout with the team pic.twitter.com/yojkLHnwzQ
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) March 28, 2026
McGonigle has checked off several firsts in his first two games in the big leagues, featuring four hits in his first game and a clutch hit in his second game, but he continues to wait for the first home run of his career.
Maybe that big swing is going to happen in Saturday's series finale.
As long as Merrill doesn't steal it again.
"Oh man, we were joking about it out there," said McGonigle, who hasn't experienced his first strikeout, either. "He said, 'My bad, my bad.' I said, 'Come on, at least let the first one go out. You can have the rest.' But that was an unbelievable catch. Great play."
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kevin McGonigle clutch hit gives Detroit Tigers win over Padres