ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Faedo climbed the mound Monday for his return to Tropicana Field, about 20 miles from his hometown Tampa and 150 miles from the University of Florida.
It was a homecoming start.
Faedo spent most of his life in Florida, and he attended many Tampa Bay Rays games as a kid. This time, the 26-year-old rookie entered the ballpark — matched up against 12-year MLB veteran Corey Kluber — and allowed just one run while pitching into the sixth inning.
The Tigers beat the Rays, 3-2, in the first of three matchups in the series to begin a nine-game road trip, extending their winning streak to four games and improving to 13-23 this season.