Jhonny Peralta has managed to save the best for last…
The 31-year-old Dominican professional baseball player’s ninth-inning home run gave the Detroit Tigers a much-needed victory against the Boston Red Sox.
Peralta hit the two-run homer off Andrew Bailey in the bottom of the ninth to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Red Sox on Thursday night.
Boston led 3-2 when Victor Martinez drew a leadoff walk off Bailey, and Peralta followed with a line drive over the fence in left field for his seventh homer of the year.
“I don’t try to hit a home run, but I try to have good contact with the ball,” Peralta said. “That’s what happened when I had good contact.”
Earlier in the game, David Ortiz homered and drove in a tiebreaking run with an eighth-inning single to put Boston up, but Drew Smyly (3-0) replaced Phil Coke for Detroit and prevented any further scoring by the Red Sox. He struck out four in two innings of relief.
Detroit improved to only 2-19 when trailing after eight innings.
But Peralta proved to be the hero with one swing and was mobbed at the plate.
“I see everybody at home plate, it’s a good feeling, hitting a walk-off home run,” Peralta said. “It’s the best that I can feel.”