Detroit, MI – After receiving their American League Championship rings, the Detroit Tigers went out and pinned another loss on the New York Yankees.
Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-4 with an RBI single to lead a 17-hit onslaught that carried the Tigers to an 8-4 victory over the Yankees, Detroit's sixth straight against the Bronx Bombers when including last October's sweep of the ALCS.
Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter each collected three hits for Detroit, with Jackson scoring three runs and Hunter delivering an RBI double during a four- run fifth inning. Prince Fielder drove in a pair of runs in the triumph.
Jackson, Hunter and Cabrera -- the top three hitters in the Tigers' potent lineup -- combined to go 10-for-14 with seven runs scored.
"I think it puts more pressure on the other team when those guys are out there and you've got the big guys coming up," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "That's pretty stressful."
The offensive outburst enabled Max Scherzer (1-0) to win his 2013 debut despite allowing four runs over five-plus innings, though the hard-throwing righty did record seven strikeouts prior to exiting.
Phil Hughes (0-1), activated from the disabled list prior to the game, was reached for four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits through four-plus innings to take the loss.
Lyle Overbay finished 2-for-4 with a two-run single for New York, off to its first 1-4 start since 2006, while Vernon Wells had a solo homer in the loss.
"I think it's just a rough start. We've got to get it turned around," Yankees manager Joe Girardi remarked. "It doesn't get any easier tomorrow with [Justin] Verlander, but we've got to get it turned around. We're swinging the bats OK. We've got to get the pitching turned around a little bit."
Hughes, slowed by a bulging disc in his back for much of spring training, had held the Tigers to just one run over the first four innings -- aided by a diving catch from center fielder Brett Gardner on Victor Martinez's sinking liner with two on and two out in the third.
However, Detroit broke through against the right-hander in the fifth.
Jackson began the big inning with a single and Hunter followed with a deep drive into the gap in right center for an RBI double that broke a 1-1 deadlock. Cabrera then singled up the middle to bring home Hunter and chase Hughes, and Fielder greeted reliever Boone Logan with a base hit before Martinez lofted a fly to right that easily scored Cabrera from third.
David Phelps then replaced Logan on the New York mound, but immediately gave up a bloop single to Jhonny Peralta that brought in Fielder for the fourth run of the inning.
Scherzer, meanwhile, was in control until encountering trouble in a top of the sixth in which the Yankees scored three times to close the gap.
He walked Robinson Cano and Kevin Youkilis to begin the frame before serving up Travis Hafner's RBI single that pulled New York within 5-2. The Yankees later loaded the bases against reliever Al Albuquerque, and Overbay made it a one-run game by singling through the right side to knock in both Youkilis and Hafner.
Detroit put up a pair of runs against Phelps in their half of the sixth, however, to get some distance back.
Singles by Jackson and Hunter and a walk to Cabrera loaded the bases with no outs for Fielder, who plated a run with a fielder's choice grounder two batters before Andy Dirks came through with a two-out single to extend the lead to 7-4.
The Tigers tacked on another run in the eighth, filling the sacks on a Cabrera single and a pair of walks issued by Joba Chamberlain before Dirks lifted a sac fly.
Detroit opened the scoring with an unearned run in the bottom of the first, with Jackson reaching on an error by Yankees shortstop Jayson Nix, advancing to third on a Cabrera base hit and coming home on Fielder's sac fly.
Wells' second homer of the season tied the contest at 1-1 in the second, and Brennan Boesch followed with a triple to right to put the Yankees in position to move in front. The ex-Tiger was gunned down at the plate by Hunter, however, while attempting to score on Francisco Cervelli's fly out.
Game Notes
Nix was filling in for Eduardo Nunez, held out of New York's lineup after being hit in the right arm by a pitch from the Tigers' Doug Fister in Friday's series opener ... Cabrera now has driven in at least one run in each of the first five games, becoming the first Tiger to do so since Bobby Higginson in 2004 ... Jackson is batting .429 (9-for-21) while hitting safely in five straight to begin the season ... To make room for Hughes on the active roster, the Yankees optioned reliever Cody Eppley to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre.
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