Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal celebrates after striking out Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela to end the eighth inning Saturday night in Detroit. The Tigers won, 2-1. Paul Sancya/Associated Press
DETROIT — Tarik Skubal allowed one run in eight innings and struck out eight to become the fourth Detroit left-hander with 200 strikeouts in a season as the Tigers celebrated the franchise’s 1984 World Series championship with a 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
Jack Morris threw the ceremonial first pitch to Lance Parrish, and Skubal (16-4) gave a performance that would have fit onto Morris’ resume. He allowed Tyler O’Neill’s first-inning homer, but Boston only managed three singles the rest of the way.
Skubal joined Hal Newhouser, Mickey Lolich and Matthew Boyd as the team’s only left-handers to strike out 200 in a season. He now has 201.
Tyler Holton pitched the ninth for his sixth save as the Tigers moved 1 1/2 games behind Boston for fourth in the American League wild-card race.
Boston’s Nick Pavetta (5-10) allowed two runs on six hits and a walk in six innings.
After O’Neill’s homer, the Tigers took the lead with two runs in the second.
Spencer Torkelson hit a one-out single and Zach McKinstry extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games with a double. Trey Sweeney hit a fly ball to left ball that Rob Refsnyder couldn’t play against the wall, driving in two with a double.
The Tigers got a pair of singles in the seventh, but both Ryan Kreidler and Parker Meadows were picked off first. Meadows was caught by 44-year-old Rich Hill, the only player on either roster who was born when the Tigers last won the World Series.
Kreidler made up for his mistake in the eighth, retiring Triston Casas with a jump throw from foul territory behind third.
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