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Detroit Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle seems pretty comfortable at the major league level, but one veteran doesn’t want him too comfortable.
McGonigle made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster and showed why he deserved it by recording four hits in his MLB debut.
McGonigle returned to action on Friday in San Diego against the Padres, and in the top of the second inning, he launched a ball to deep center field that traveled 403 feet. However, Jackson Merrill pounced and robbed McGonigle of his first home run.
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Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers celebrates after hitting a two-RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on March 27, 2026, in San Diego, California. (Orlando Ramírez/Getty Images)
In the bottom half of the inning, after Merrill doubled, McGonigle appeared to congratulate Merrill on his catch, for which Merrill thanked him.
But that didn’t happen before Merrill joked about McGonigle’s big Opening Day.
“Yesterday you got four!” Merrill told the rookie.
McGonigle became the 21st player in MLB history to have four hits in his MLB debut and the first to do so since JP Arancibia in 2010.
Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres makes a leaping catch during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on March 27, 2026, in San Diego, California. (Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)
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Merrill’s home run steal provided an early boost, but McGonigle retaliated with a game-winning two-run single in a four-run eighth inning for Detroit en route to a 5-2 victory.
The Tigers choked out a double-digit lead in the AL Central last season, but still made it to the AL Division Series after defeating the same team that beat them in the standings in the Cleveland Guardians.
Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers celebrates after hitting a two-RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on March 27, 2026, in San Diego, California. (Orlando Ramírez/Getty Images)
The Padres played more baseball in October as a wild card team as the Los Angeles Dodgers captured another NL West title before repeating as World Series champions.
