MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Detroit, MI

The Detroit Tigers found a novel way to lose Saturday, but it was an umpire who felt the real pain.

With the bases loaded and the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Tigers reliever Jose Cisnero was one out away from forcing another extra inning. He had to face White Sox All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson to get there and opened with a 96.4 mph fastball.

Unfortunately for all involved except the White Sox, the pitch sailed high and nailed home plate umpire Cory Blaser in the face mask, sending the ball out of reach of catcher Eric Haase and giving Chicago a 2-1 walk-off win on a wild pitch.

Blaser reportedly remains under evaluation after the play. The White Sox posted a tweet wishing him a speedy recovery.

Hoping for a speedy recovery for home plate umpire, Cory Blaser, who was hit by a pitch. ??

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 3, 2023

Per MLB.com's Jason Beck, Haase said after the game that the costly mistake came because of a pitch mix-up. Haase apparently called for a slider, while Cisnero thought he heard sinker.

In case you were wondering, Rule 6.01(f) of the MLB rulebook explicitly states that a ball that hits an umpire is a live ball:

If a thrown ball accidentally touches a base coach, or a pitched or thrown ball touches an umpire, the ball is alive and in play. However, if the coach interferes with a thrown ball, the runner is out.

White Sox-Tigers game made bizarre wild-pitch history

Incredibly, that was the third time in the game that a run had scored on a wild pitch. Because the score was 2-1, that means every run in this game was scored on a wild pitch. Per Elias Sports Bureau via Beck, it was the first game in MLB history to see three run-scoring wild pitches and no runs scored any other way.

The first wild pitch came from the Tigers' Michael Lorenzon in the fourth inning, scoring Andrew Benintendi. The lone Tigers run was scored by Zach McKinstry off Dylan Cease. Each of those was more normal than what happened in extra innings.

The win improves Chicago's record to 25-35, good for only fourth place in the AL Central. The team has looked revitalized lately, though, winning 11 of its past 18 games to show some life after a horrendous start. Wacky walk-offs have been something of a recurring story for the team as well, as it has lost on a walk-off bunt twice this season.

CHICAGO -- The word “inspirational” comes to mind when talking about a 6-2 walk-off victory for the White Sox over the Tigers on Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field that completed a weekend American League Central sweep.

Inspirational in the fact that Jake Burger hit a grand slam off Detroit closer Alex Lange for the victory, marking his first career slam and his first game-ending home run. It’s the same Burger who worked his way through two left Achilles tears and didn’t play from 2018-20.

And, of course, inspirational with Liam Hendriks picking up the win by working a perfect ninth and pitching in back-to-back games for the first time since he beat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

This Hendriks victory also happened to come on National Cancer Survivors Day.

“That’s one thing that’s pretty special,” Hendriks said. “As soon as you get diagnosed, you are considered a survivor. You’ve lived through this. Hopefully, I can continue moving forward and continue somewhat at least doing the right thing on the field and give some people some hope to continue fighting.”

“He went out there and kind of got back to his authentic self, fist-pumping and screaming a little bit,” White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech said. “That's what we've all been expecting to see, and he let it out.”

Kopech set the tone for this victory, allowing two runs on Spencer Torkelson’s fourth-inning home run and nothing more over seven innings. He struck out nine and walked one, giving him a four-start run of 26 1/3 innings pitched, 11 hits allowed, six earned runs, 38 strikeouts and just four walks in 95 batters faced.

Pinch-hitter Andrew Benintendi started the game-winning rally with a single and moved to second on a Lange wild pitch. One out later, pinch-hitter Yoán Moncada and Tim Anderson drew walks against the reigning AL Reliever of the Month and a pitcher who had gotten the White Sox to chase consistently this season.

Burger took a first-pitch fastball out of the zone and then launched a curve to left-center field. There was no doubt the game was over, but there was some doubt Burger’s 385-foot drive would clear the fence.

“Honestly, off the bat, I didn’t think it was getting out,” Burger said. “I thought it was going to be off the wall; a single. It went out, and I’m still trying to come down from it a little bit.”

“When you fall behind with the fastball, he's probably just sitting on it,” Lange said. “Jake's a really good hitter; [I've] played against him for a long time. He's seen a lot of me and put a good swing on the baseball. These guys get paid to hit, too. That's a good swing by him."

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Burger struck out in each of his first three at-bats. But a walk drawn in his fourth plate appearance got him back into position offensively.

“Going into that fifth one, he doesn’t want to bounce one or let a passed ball get by,” Burger said. “Just kind of zone in one spot and hopefully he throws it, and slow yourself down.

“If it’s in the zone, [Burger's] going to do some damage,” Hendriks said. “He doesn’t miss the mistakes. Some pitches he’s hitting haven’t been mistakes. They are good pitches. It just shows the talent he’s got. It’s an inspiring story. A lot of things have gone on to get him to this point.”

Sunday’s victory gave the White Sox a 12-7 record over a 19-game stretch with 16 games against division opponents. They improved to 26-35 overall but also moved within 5 1/2 games of the AL Central-leading Twins, who fell to two games over .500 with a loss to Cleveland on Sunday.

Business picks up starting Tuesday at Yankee Stadium with no AL Central opponents on the schedule until July 21 at Minnesota. Chicago hopes this weekend’s success, spurred on by Burger and Hendriks, will build some momentum.

“Right now, the goal is to play good baseball and win every game we can. However we get 'em, we'll take 'em,” Kopech said. “Got a sweep this time, and that's big for us moving forward.”

“These are division opponents. We'd just faced them. We lost three out of four over there,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “So it was a good way to come back and use some of our home-field advantage that we have here with our fans to win three games.”

The Detroit Lions offense exploded onto the scene in 2022. From DVOA and PFF rankings (fifth and seventh, respectively) to traditional counting stats (third in total yards, fifth in points for), the Lions were among the upper echelon of the NFL. Yet with such an impressive showing, is there room for improvement—or regression—in 2023?

The Lions’ offense was always viewed as its strength entering 2022, but I don’t think many expected them to reach the highs they did. Jared Goff put together a career year, Jamaal Williams recorded a whopping 17 rushing touchdowns, Amon-Ra St. Brown topped 1,100 receiving yards, and the offensive line allowed a second-fewest 24 sacks. Even with injuries to D’Andre Swift and DJ Chark, the Lions offense lifted the anchor that was their defense.

Despite all that success, the Lions offense will look staggeringly different in 2023.

For one, the running back room has received a massive overhaul. Gone are Williams (free agency to the New Orleans Saints) and Swift (trade to the Philadelphia Eagles). In their stead are former NFC North rival David Montgomery and 12th overall pick Jahmyr Gibbs. Both players will look to replicate (and improve upon) the rushing attack that Detroit boasted last year.

The receiving corps saw some changes too. Chark departed in free agency to the Carolina Panthers, but 2023 was viewed as the breakout season for Jameson Williams. Unfortunately, Williams was suspended six games for a gambling-related infraction. That leaves St. Brown to again carry the pass catchers, with Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond, and Marvin Jones Jr. to complement.

Another notable change is one that actually happened mid-season. The Lions traded away tight end T.J. Hockenson in November, a somewhat controversial move at the time due to the lack of obvious replacements. However, the ragtag group of Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Shane Zylstra proved to be valuable contributors in their limited roles. For 2023, the Lions added Sam LaPorta with the 34th pick in the NFL Draft. While rookie tight ends typically start slow, LaPorta should be an exciting option on offense.

Thankfully for Detroit, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson returned for another season despite head coaching interest elsewhere. Johnson’s scheme, coupled with a healthy offensive line, should bode well for Goff to repeat his 2022 success.

However, repeating a top ten offense is easier said than done.

After a lengthy offseason, opposing teams have had time to review film and develop counter strategies. The onus is on Johnson to not only replicate his 2022 campaign, but innovate as well. The early results have been impressive from Johnson, so it seems likely that he has more up his sleeve. However, Johnson wouldn’t be the first playcaller to struggle as teams adapted.

The Lions also have to worry about regression, given that many players exceeded preseason expectations. Can Goff match his 2022 numbers, or will he revert to the quarterback that the Los Angeles Rams traded away? Can the offensive line maintain its dominance—and health? Will teams finally figure out St. Brown and lock him down? How will the supporting cast fare?

The Lions are shaping up to be a top offense, but they will need multiple phases to fire on all cylinders yet again. Was 2022 a fluke, or a sign of things to come?

Today’s Question of the Day is:

My answer: I think the offense will be on par.

That’s nothing to be ashamed about, but it speaks more to the teams ahead of them. The Kansas City Chiefs (first in offense DVOA), Buffalo Bills (third), and Cincinnati Bengals (fourth) each boast elite quarterbacks, while the San Francisco 49ers (second) have an elite offensive playcaller in Kyle Shanahan. While Goff has proven doubters like myself wrong, I still wouldn’t put him among the best of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Johnson has been successful thus far, but matching Shanahan is a lofty goal. Because of these, I think the Lions offense has a lower ceiling than those other teams.

However, I think the Lions have a high floor thanks to Johnson, an elite receiver in St. Brown, two capable running backs, and an impressive offensive line. While I’m not sure that the Lions offense will jump into the top three, I think they are a lock to finish as a top ten offense, barring significant injuries.

Your turn.

Associated Press

Denver — Staring down a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals, as the visitors in a hostile arena where no road team had prevailed in more than two months, the Miami Heat decided to do what they've done throughout the postseason.

They found a way. Against all odds. Again.

The Heat tied the NBA Finals and had to overcome a monster 41-point effort from Nikola Jokic to do it. Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 21 and Heat beat the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 on Sunday night.

"Our guys are competitors," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They love these kind of moments."

Evidently.

They were down by as many as 15 points, down eight going into the fourth, and those numbers signified they were going to lose. Denver was 11-0 in these playoffs when leading by double digits at any point in a game, and 37-1 this season overall when leading by at least eight going into the fourth.

The Heat didn't care. They outscored Denver 17-5 in the first 3:17 of the fourth to take the lead for good, eventually went up by 12, then frittered most of it away and had to survive a 3-point try by Jamal Murray as time expired.

"This is the finals," Adebayo said. "We gutted one out."

Game 3 is Wednesday in Miami.

? BOX SCORE: Miami 111, Denver 108

Max Strus scored 14 and Duncan Robinson had 10 — all of them in the fourth — for the Heat, who had a big early lead, then got down by as many as 15. They had no answers for Jokic, who was 16 of 28 from the floor, the last of those shots a 4-footer with 36 seconds left to get the Nuggets within three.

Denver elected not to foul on the ensuing Miami possession and it paid off. Butler missed a 3, and with a chance to tie, Murray missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"I just contested it," Butler said. "Pretty glad that he missed it."

Denver lost at home for the first time since March 30, and for the first time in 10 home playoff games this year. And just as he did after a Game 1 win, Nuggets coach Michael Malone sounded the alarm after a Game 2 loss.

"Let's talk about effort," Malone said. "I mean, this is the NBA Finals and we're talking about effort. That's a huge concern of mine. You guys probably thought I was just making up some storyline after Game 1 when I said we didn't play well. We didn't play well. ... This is not the preseason. This is not the regular season. This is the NBA Finals."

Murray had 18 points and 10 assists for Denver, while Aaron Gordon had 12 points and Bruce Brown scored 11.

"They just played hard, and like I said, it was more discipline," Murray said. "It's defeating when you're giving up mistake after mistake, and it's not them beating you, you're giving them open dunks or open shots. That's tough to come back from."

Strus, who was 0 for 10 in Game 1, had four 3-pointers in the first quarter of Game 2. Butler made a jumper with 4:56 left in the opening quarter to put Miami up 21-10, tying the second-biggest lead any opponent had built in Denver so far in these playoffs.

In a flash, it was gone — and then some.

The Nuggets outscored Miami 32-11 over the next 9 minutes, turning the double-digit deficit into a double-digit lead thanks to an absolute 3-point barrage.

In a 70-second span early in the second quarter, Denver got four 3s — more points than Miami got in that entire 9-minute stretch – and they came from four different players: Brown, then Jeff Green, then Murray, then Gordon.

Boom, boom, boom, and boom. Murray had five straight points to end the flurry, and Denver led 44-32 when it was over. It looked like everything was going Denver's way.

Miami insisted otherwise. And for the 44th time this season, the Heat won a game by five points or less. None of them was bigger than this one.

"When it comes down to the wire," Vincent said, "we're strangely comfortable."

Tip-Ins

Heat: Miami changed its starting lineup, with Kevin Love back in the opening five and Caleb Martin — who missed practice Saturday with an illness – coming off the bench. … The Heat got their 13th win of these playoffs, breaking a tie with the 1999 New York Knicks for the most ever by a No. 8 seed.

Nuggets: Jokic became the 14th different player in NBA history to score at least 41 in a finals loss. ... Denver hadn't lost a game since May 7 — four weeks ago. … Nuggets legends Alex English, LaPhonso Ellis (who actually ended his NBA career with Miami) and David Thompson were among those in attendance.

Herro Update

Injured Heat guard Tyler Herro played 2-on-2 on Saturday as he continues his efforts to try to return from a broken hand at some point in these finals — but remained out. Herro got hurt in the first half of Game 1 of Round 1 at Milwaukee. His status for Game 3 is unclear.

SANTIAGO, Chile − Here’s one way to do it. Plan for several years, save your money, make deep dives into the internet, and reserve a trip of a lifetime.

That’s how I got here, to South America, first time ever in countries such as Ecuador, Peru and Argentina. We have seen things you can only imagine, like the remains of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian mountains, or the gravitational pull of the actual equator line in Quito.

Or the food.

It is, for me, my favorite way to experience a new place: walking the streets, smelling the aromas of things you have never tried.

You can ask them in Ecuador to bring you what the locals eat, and they will plop down a massive plate of llapingachos, patties of fried potatoes and cheese, or pescado encocado, fish cooked in a coconut milk.

You can ask for a great meal in Peru and they will serve up ceviche, raw fish marinated in various flavorings, or beef flame-cooked with chiles, tomatoes and onions, called lomo saltado.

You can ask for a local libation in Santiago and get a piscola brandy drink, or Pisco, which is almost as common as Coke is in the States.

Fly to foreign countries. Book tours. Ask the locals. Use Google translate.

That’s one way to do it.

Or there’s an easier way.

EAT Detroit.

If you're hungry, take your pick

That’s right. The chance to try foods from 25 different restaurants in a single evening is back again. You can go around the world and never leave Detroit.

On Tuesday, June 27, the third annual EAT Detroit event returns, a dine-and-dash opportunity to try the best restaurants in the city in a four-hour adventure. Each restaurant serves up three signature dishes and a signature drink, which you can sample to your hearts content, then move on to the next.

The limited tickets for the general admission ($150) or a special VIP before and after event ($275) are only available through eatdetroit.info.

Best of all — all the money goes to help needy people, through the charities of SAY Detroit. So you can’t gain weight. No calories in doing good!

Four hours. From 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with a wristband, maps, and buses (although many restaurants are walking distance from one another). And I’m not kidding about the around the world thing.

LAST YEAR'S EVENT:EAT Detroit event comes back in a big way, despite rain and power outages

Consider the list of restaurants, including the French-inspired fare of Bar Pigalle, just voted the Free Press’ No. 1 best new restaurant in Detroit for 2023, or the Lebanese fare of Leila, voted Detroit’s best restaurant of 2020, or the contemporary Italian of SheWolf Pastificio & Bar, named Restaurant of the Year by Hour Detroit magazine in 2020, or the Irish, Italian, German fare of Cork & Gabel, or the Japanese specialties of Ima Izakaya, the pan-Asian of Pao Detroit, the Havana-inspired fare of Vicente’s Cuban Cuisine, the Thai specialties of Takoi or the good old-fashioned American smoked meats of Slows Bar BQ or the soul food of SavannahBlue.

Honestly, this is as much fun as you can have eating without boarding a plane.

'A way to pay back the community'

“It’s a phenomenal event,” said Elias Khalil, who owns the fantastic Spanish restaurant La Feria, which returns again to EAT Detroit. “It’s a way to pay back to the community, that solidarity which is the definition of what it is to be a Detroiter.”

Khalil will be offering up pan-seared garlic shrimp, almond-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates. and house-toasted baguettes made with garlic sheep cheese.

Hungry yet?

You can go Italian at La Lanterna, with some lasagna Bolognese or some fettuccini with meat sauce, served up by Eddie Barbieri, whose grandfather opened the place in 1956.

“I really think this is a great opportunity to showcase all the restaurants in the city,” Barbieri said. “We treasured the two times we’ve done it and are very happy to go back-to-back.”

That vibe is shared throughout the 25 participating eateries, especially given the challenges that faced the industry during COVID-19. EAT Detroit is a great way to put yourself inside these trendy, often hard-to-get-into places, see the interior, taste the fare and make a mental note about coming back.

How it all started

And of course, there’s the charity element, which is the entre reason for doing it. So many people in our city can’t even afford daily nutrition for their kids. Why not partner with those who can to make life better for kids, seniors, veterans, medically challenged and homeless Detroiters, on a night that could not be more enjoyable?

We started this event in 2019, with the help of Jack Aronson, the creator of Garden Fresh and one of the most giving people I’ve ever met. Jack passed away two years ago, but his spirit still infuses EAT Detroit and motivates the participants.

“Jack was a huge supporter of local chefs,” recalled SheWolf chef and co-owner Anthony Lombardo. “There are countless stories of him walking into the kitchens and handing out hundred-dollar bills to the cooks. He knew the hard work that went into the restaurant business and had tremendous respect for the world of hospitality.”

So there you go. You can do it the hard way, as I’m doing, take years, spend a small fortune, sleep on airplanes.

Or you can try the easier way, on Tuesday, June 27: Eat the world in four hours, sleep in your own bed and help others sleep more soundly.

Your stomach — and countless needy Detroiters — will thank you.

For tickets and a full list of participating restaurants go to eatdetroit.info.

Contact Mitch Albom: [email protected]. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow him on Twitter @mitchalbom.