Some wins are about finesse, clutch hits and standout performances. And then there are the “grit” wins -- ones that taste extra sweet looking back after a hard fight.\n\n
\n\nHIP HIP! HAROLD! pic.twitter.com/IcxchqVzUn
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 16, 2021
\n\n \n\nAlong the way, the Tigers got grit from the starting pitcher, who was struck hard by a comebacker. They got grit from the bullpen, pressed into service after just 2 2/3 innings. And they got grit from the offense, which rallied from three deficits before Castro’s defining blow.\n\n“In situations like that, I’m always reminded by some old coaches that used to say, ‘Beat him with a single,’” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “And that’s what we kept saying in the dugout. Nobody better out there when you need a single than Harold.”\n\n**Ouch!** \n
But the lasting effect of Heyward's knock was evident soon enough. Ureña had his sore foot tested right away in the third, when Joc Pederson’s hit pulled Cabrera off first base, leaving Ureña to sprint to cover the bag for the out. The next hit was a Kris Bryant comebacker that Ureña nearly fielded cleanly before it caromed off his glove for a base hit.\n\nUreña limped around the mound afterward as his leg continued to stiffen up, but he continued to battle. A pair of doubles around a groundout gave the Cubs a 4-3 lead, though, and that ended Ureña's day.\n\n**Holding the fort** \nUreña’s exit meant action for the bullpen much earlier than Detroit would have liked, especially after he threw seven innings for four consecutive starts from April 16-May 2.\n\n
“We asked a lot out of our pitching today,” Hinch said. “Yes, we gave up a few runs in the middle of the game, but as the game got closer and our offense kept fighting back, our pitching really responded.\n\n“Very impressed and happy for our ’pen.”\n\nChicago then entered the sixth with momentum on its side after a three-run fifth, but
\n\n \n\nDetroit showed mettle again with another three-run frame in the fourth. The Tigers plated a trio of runs on a wild pitch, a groundout from Cabrera and a double from Schoop to retake a 6-4 lead.
Down 7-6 in the seventh, the Tigers rallied again to tie the game on Cabrera’s single, which eventually sent the game to extras.
\n\nAnd then, the reward for a fight well fought: A Cabrera flyout and a single from Mazara pushed