Detroit — So what the heck was shortstop Niko Goodrum doing on the second base side of the infield in the ninth inning Wednesday night?
Good thing he was. He was perfectly positioned to snag Josh Naylor’s line drive and turn it into a game-ending double-play to lock down the Tigers' 1-0 win over the Indians.
The fact Goodrum was in the right place at the right time was the last perfectly-executed play for the Tigers in a game full of them, and it was not by accident.
“We were unshifted for (left-handed hitting) Naylor with a runner on first,” manager AJ Hinch explained, keeping his middle infielders in double-play position at the start of the at-bat.