Not known for his offense, the 38-year old veteran provided quite the boost with his bat in his first outing for his new club Monday.
Gonzalez delivered a pair of clutch hits - none bigger than his’s walk-off single in the ninth inning - to send the Tigers to a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on opening day at Comerica Park.
Gonzalez also drove in what proved to be the game-tying run on a triple in the seventh inning that helped put the Tigers in position to win the season opener.
In a day that ushered in new eras for the Tigers, several in addition to Gonzalez made contributions to give new Detroit manager Brad Ausmus a victory in his managerial debut. Rookie Nick Castellanos, who is taking over at third base for the Tigers, had a pair of hits that included a single in the ninth inning that moved pinch runner and rookie outfielder Tyler Collins from first to third before scoring easily once Gonzalez lined a single.
And then there was the new-look bullpen, which got a scoreless inning from veteran closer Joe Nathan as he picked up the win.
Kansas City, which is thought to be a strong threat to overtake the three-time defending American League Central division champion Tigers this season, scored three times in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
That lead remained when starter James Shields exited the game in the seventh, but the bullpen wasn’t able to protect it. Austin Jackson, who had a triple in the seventh, scored on a wild pitch by reliever Aaron Crow. Gonzalez then tripled to drive in Alex Avila for the tying run.
