MILWAUKEE — A game of home run derby broke out bewteen the Tigers and Brewers, and Kolten Wong wasn’t taking a backseat to anyone.
Wong hit his third career leadoff home run Tuesday en route to his third career multihomer game in a losing effort. The teams combined for nine home runs as Detroit slugged its way to a 10-7 win, ending Milwaukee’s five-game winning streak.
This was Wong’s first game with two home runs since Opening Day 2019 in Milwaukee, when he was on the Cardinals.
It doesn’t hurt, he said, that the thermometer in Wisconsin these days is starting to match that of his native Hilo. The game time temperature was 72 degrees.
“It’s starting to warm up a little bit, and this is a park where we know the ball can fly,” Wong said. “Temperature is definitely playing into it.
“Just getting some good pitches to hit. There really weren’t any cheap home runs tonight.”
Least of all not his two-run blast in the third off of left-hander Matthew Boyd. The no-doubter cleared the bullpen in right-center and reached the second deck.
In the ninth, Wong had what could be described as an uneasy at-bat against Gregory Soto, who was throwing 100 MPH, but didn’t always appear to know where the balls were going.
“I think Major League Baseball needs to do something about the up-and-in fastballs,” he said. “This is a game at the end of the day. You’re messing with people’s lives when you’re coming at 100 at guys’ heads like that.”
Eric Haase and Jonathan Schoop each hit two home runs for the Tigers, and the Brewers’ Tyrone Taylor also went deep twice.
Wong’s younger brother, Kean Wong, was credited with his first RBI as a major leaguer, coaxing a bases-loaded walk in the Angels’ 8-1 win in San Francisco. Kean Wong didn’t start but finished 1 for 2, including the first walk of his 11-game major league career.
Angels outfielder Justin Upton exited in the fourth after a collision with second baseman Kean Wong as they chased a popup in shallow left.