Spencer Torkelson and the Worst Debuts in Detroit Tigers History

Mar 17, 2021 - Spencer Torkelson hits a foul ball. Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2021 - Spencer Torkelson hits a foul ball. Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports /
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Worst Detroit Tigers Debut Number 3 – William Cuevas

Detroit Tigers
LAKELAND, FL – William Cuevas pitches. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

The Red Sox signed William Cuevas out of Venezuela in 2008 and he eventually made his MLB debut with Boston in 2016. The Detroit Tigers signed him as a minor-league free agent late that year, and he came up for one positively Sborzian outing in 2017. Daniel Norris and the Tigers had beaten up on Trevor Bauer and Cleveland, carrying a 7-1 lead into the 9th. It seemed like a perfect time for new reliever William Cuevas to make a low-pressure debut.

He gave up a leadoff double to Francisco Lindor — no crime there — and then hit Brandon Guyer. A strikeout of Edwin Encarnacion briefly calmed the storm, but then he gave up a pair of singles and was pulled for closer Francisco Rodríguez. K-Rod proceeded to give up a grand slam, with three runs charged to Cuevas in what ended up being his only appearance with the team. His final Detroit Tigers stats: 0.1 IP, 108.00 ERA, 3H, 4ER, K, HBP.