Tigers epic 9th inning vs Angels was perfect ending to Tarik Skubal-Zach Neto drama

It started with a Zach Neto home run off Tarik Skubal, but it ended with four homers from the Detroit Tigers lineup in the top of the ninth inning and 9-1 win. The Los Angeles Angels' shortstop may have set the tone early for his team early, but Riley Greene and the Tigers' bats brought home the victory with a historic ninth-inning rally that left Neto licking his wounds.

Neto jumped on the very first pitch he saw on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The diminutive Angels' infielder launched a solo shot to straight-away center field and put the Halos up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning. The ball left the bat at nearly 108 mph and travelled 429 feet. Neto, who was feeling his oats, took a little extra time to admire that one, and Skubal obviously took exception to it.

Tarik Skubal-Zach Neto drama ends after Tigers end Angels' hopes with 4 HRs in the ninth inning

Neto's next at-bat came in the bottom of the third inning, and Skubal blew a fastball by him at 99 mph. The Angels shortstop swung wildly at strike three and there was jawing back and forth between both he an Skubal on his way back to the dugout.

The benches eventually emptied and so did the bullpens, but it was much ado about nothing. Cooler heads prevailed after Neto returned to the dugout realizing that he was Zach Neto — a player with a .243 career average — and he was getting into a war of words with the best pitcher in baseball who just embarrassed him with the high-heat.

The home run was Neto's only hit of the game, but Skubal had seven more strikeouts on the night in addition to the one he blew by the Angels shortstop. The 2024 AL Cy Young Award-winner finished the night going six innings, allowed just one run on four hits and struck out eight. The Tigers' southpaw lowered his season ERA to 2.25 with Friday's performance.

Riley Greene got the party started for the Tigers in the ninth inning

But Detroit entered the ninth inning locked in a 1-1 tie with Angels' closer Kenley Jansen on the bump for LA. Things did not go well for the Angels' reliever, as Greene gave Jansen the Neto treatment and drilled a leadoff home run to right field. The solo homer off Greene's bat broke the 1-1 tie and gave the Tigers a one-run lead.

But Detroit's bats were not done. Colt Keith, trying to break out of his rut, smacked a home run of his own and put the Tigers up 3-1 with no outs in the top of the ninth. And it only got worse from there for Jansen and the Halos. In total, the Tigers sent 11 batters to the plate, hit four home runs (including one by Javier Baez and another from Greene), and won the game by a final score of 9-1.

This was one of those fool around and find out situations for Neto and the Angels. Neto poked the bear, and found out very quickly that Skubal is not the type of player you want to mess with. His troops rallied behind him and embarrassed the Angels with a historic ninth-inning rally. Greene became the 62nd player to record two home runs in one inning and the first in MLB history to do so in the ninth. "Pretty cool," Greene told the media after the game.

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