Ty Madden earns first MLB win over Athletics

OAKLAND — The Tigers have had their share of celebrations at the Coliseum over the years. They clinched their first of three consecutive American League Central titles here in 2011, then rode Justin Verlander to victory in winner-take-all Game 5 of the 2012 and 2013 Division Series. Stars celebrated like kids in Oakland, and the plastic used to protect lockers from champagne became a makeshift Slip ‘N Slide once, much to the chagrin of then-manager Jim Leyland.

The Tigers’ final game at the Coliseum brought one more celebration. This was a little different, a party for the Tigers’ No. 16 prospect, Ty Madden’s first Major League victory. But as teammates threw everything they could find on the rookie right-hander following his five innings of one-run ball in Sunday’s 9-1 win over the A’s, it was still pretty wild.

“Beer, shaving cream, baby powder, it all got dumped on me,” Madden said.

And as the Tigers filed out of the Coliseum one last time, headed back home, they were one step closer to experiencing the excitement of a playoff chase. Their third victory in four games, combined with the Twins’ third straight loss to the Royals, moved Detroit to within 3 1/2 games of Minnesota for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. The Tigers are tied with the Mariners as the Twins’ closest pursuers, having passed the Red Sox following Boston’s loss to the White Sox.

It’s close enough now to discuss, even if just a few words.

“Yeah, I think everybody knows,” Trey Sweeney, who went 4-for-4, said. “But the main focus is to just keep winning and not pay attention to the outside too much, but control what we can control. Win as many games as we can and hope that we get our shot.”

Even as one of many firsts on a young team that has had a slew of debuts this year, Madden’s celebration was meaningful considering the path that led the former supplemental first-round Draft pick to the big leagues. Five months ago, he was braving the April chill of Erie, Pa., having been sent to Double-A for a third season with a challenge from Tigers management: Take the splitter he learned in Spring Training and make it a bigger part of his arsenal to improve his splits against left-handed hitters.

“It’s not a natural pitch for him, given the grip,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He relied so heavily on other pitches as an amateur and had success. It’s hard to get guys to buy into that. As soon as he did and started to use it, you could show him how effective it is, you can utilize the numbers to build confidence.”

Madden earned his promotion to Triple-A Toledo in May, but it was a bumpy transition, evidenced by his 7.97 ERA in 18 starts. The Tigers let their No. 16 prospect learn while challenging him to keep attacking hitters. A month ago, he allowed six runs, five earned, on 12 hits over 5 2/3 innings but struck out 11 with no walks. The Tigers let him go for a career-high 106 pitches.

“Credit to our [player development] system, which put him in a lot of tough situations and had hard conversations and challenged him,” Hinch said.

Madden answered, which is why he earned a call-up. Though three outings and 14 innings as a Tiger, he has a 2.57 ERA, a .241 batting average allowed, a 1.21 WHIP — and now a very rewarding victory.

Sunday showed the rewards of those challenges. Madden’s splitter drew six of his 14 swinging strikes and three of his career-high seven strikeouts. He sent Tristan Gray swinging at three in a row in the fourth inning to strand Zack Gelof on second after his lone walk and a stolen base. Once Oakland scored on three consecutive sixth-inning hits, Madden fanned Gray again — this time on a cutter — before going back to the splitter on a 3-2 pitch to fan Max Schuemann.

“I threw some more splits to right-handers today, and that really opened everything up,” Madden said.

That’s tangible progress, and as Madden soaked in the atmosphere of a park where many Tigers pitchers celebrated before him, it made him appreciate the journey.

“It’s been a long year,” Madden said, “but it feels good to be here right now. I know we have a lot of work to do. We’ve got a few weeks left and a lot of confidence in this team, and we plan to keep rolling.”