DETROIT — Zach McKinstry has stepped to the plate at Comerica Park with Creed’s “What If” as his walkup music throughout his All-Star season. As he approached his first at-bat on Friday night, however, McKinstry had the Central Michigan University fight song blaring on the ballpark sound system.
“I texted Carlos [Guillen, Tigers broadcaster and manager of Spanish communications] to make sure that they did that for the first at-bat, and then go back to the walkup song in the next one,” McKinstry said. “I think it’s cool just to get it going one time, just kinda giving back there, just letting the people know that I’m a Chippewa.”
By the time McKinstry’s work was finished, manager A.J. Hinch was joking for more alumni nights involving Tigers players. A three-hit game, a double shy of the cycle and two double plays on Royals All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. will do that, especially in a 7-5 comeback win that expanded Detroit’s American League Central lead to 10 1/2 games.
“Yeah, what’s the next one,” Hinch asked with a smile. “We can celebrate Arizona State, give Tork [Spencer Torkelson] some love.”
Long before McKinstry was an All-Star, he was a sweet-swinging shortstop at Central Michigan in 2015 and ‘16. He did not hit a home run in his CMU career, though he hit a few homers in summer ball. He finished his collegiate career with a higher on-base percentage (.403) than slugging percentage (.373).
“I hit the top of the wall and it bounced straight up. The ball stayed in. It was my last regular-season game at Central,” McKinstry said. “That’s the closest I came to a home run at Central. A lot of line drives the other way.”
The Dodgers saw enough to select McKinstry in the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft, He steadily improved as a hitter on his way up the system, culminating in 19 homers between High-A and Double-A in 2019. His first Major League homer was a game-tying inside-the-parker off the top of the left-field fence at Coors Field to help beat the Rockies.
Imagine what college-aged McKinstry would’ve thought of double-digit homers in the big leagues, which he clinched two weeks ago against Minnesota. On Friday, his CMU fight song set up his 11th home run of the year, a drive to right-center off a 95 mph fastball. It was the Tigers’ first hit off Royals starter Ryan Bergert, and it cut into Detroit’s deficit after Kansas City tagged Casey Mize for three runs in the top of the third.
“Answering back after the three runs with the homer sounds simple enough,” Hinch said, “but we didn’t get very many good swings off their guy at the beginning of the game, and then Z-Mac comes through. So that was a really cool start for Zach.”
McKinstry got to Bergert again, this time a line drive into the right-field corner in the fifth inning, but he did not score. Detroit tied the game an inning later on Riley Greene’s 30th home run of the season, a two-run drive off lefty reliever Angel Zerpa. Greene became the first Tigers left-handed hitter with a 30-homer season since Prince Fielder in 2012.
McKinstry led off the seventh inning with a comebacker that deflected off lefty reliever Bailey Falter for a leadoff single. What followed was classic Tigers and classic McKinstry, who challenged right fielder Randal Grichuk by going first to third on Javier Báez’s single, then bolted for home with the go-ahead run when Grichuk’s throw hit him sliding into third and bounced away.
“Just kinda put my head down, and I guess it worked in my favor,” McKinstry said. “Safe by a head, and head-butted that ball over to the dugout and was able to scramble into home plate.”
It was not the typical aggressive send by third-base coach Joey Cora.
“Joey was, I think, telling me to stay,” McKinstry said, “but I kinda saw … I just kinda went. I just trusted my gut. The pitcher really wasn’t close to the ball. It was kinda trickling away from him down the line, too, so I thought I had a good chance.”
Said Hinch: “It shouldn’t surprise anyone, but it should impress everyone.”
McKinstry had one chance for the cycle, but flied out to center in the eighth.
Detroit’s eighth win in nine games earned a second Tigers victory for Kyle Finnegan, who entered a two-on, none-out jam in the seventh and induced a double play from Bobby Witt Jr., his second of the game. McKinstry played a role in that, too, serving as the pivot after starting the other in the opening inning.
“It was an exciting night,” McKinstry said. “Just thankful to go out there and be able to put on a show.”
