Detroit Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez and New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole were teammates with the Houston Astros from 2018-19 with the Houston Astros under manager A.J. Hinch.
This time, Valdez outdueled Cole.
All while Hinch watched from the Tigers’ dugout.
The Tigers secured their fourth victory in a row with a 5-3 win over the Yankees on Monday, June 22, in the first of three games in the series at Comerica Park. The Tigers were led by Valdez, who provided six innings of one-run ball – and retired his final 10 batters.
The Tigers (34-44) have a 12-6 record in June.
That’s the best mark in the American League during the month.
While Valdez dominated, the Tigers chased Cole with one out in the fifth inning, as he surrendered a season-high five runs and nine hits in his sixth start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Valdez owns a 3.91 ERA in 16 starts.
He has a 2.45 ERA through four starts in June.
On the mound
Entering Monday, the Tigers’ rotation ranked first among the 30 MLB teams with a 3.61 ERA in June.
Valdez maintained the momentum
The 32-year-old allowed one run on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts across six innings, throwing 94 pitches. The Yankees scored their lone run against him in the second inning, then he locked in his command.
It was a self-inflicted run.
Jose Caballero walked on four pitches and stole second base, both with two outs. The nine-hole hitter, Ali Sánchez, followed up by delivering an RBI double off a full-count changeup.
The Valdez mistakes let the Yankees take a 1-0 lead.
From there, Valdez settled in as his sinker and curveball missed bats at above-average rates. His curveball generated a 31.6% whiff rate in his first 15 starts, but it had a 41.7% whiff rate against the Yankees.
That whiff rate above 40% from the curveball resembled Valdez’s production from the best seasons of his nine-year MLB career.
After Valdez, the Tigers used three relievers to record the final nine outs over the final three innings against the Yankees: right-hander Drew Anderson in the seventh and eighth, left-hander Drew Sommers in the eighth and right-hander Will Vest in the eighth and ninth.
Amed Rosario hit a two-run home run off Anderson.
That trimmed the Tigers’ lead to 5-3.
Vest replaced Sommers after back-to-back infield singles, inheriting two runners with two outs in the eighth inning. He struck out Jasson Domínguez on three pitches: 87.3 mph slider (swinging strike), 96.3 mph fastball (called strike) and 96.5 mph fastball (swinging strike).
In the ninth, Vest slammed the door with three outs in a row.
At the plate
The Tigers beat up on Cole.
The 35-year-old allowed five runs on nine hits and one walk with five strikeouts across 4⅓ innings, throwing 89 pitches.
A three-run third inning was sparked by Zach McKinstry, who ripped an up-and-away fastball for a leadoff triple. With two outs, the Tigers had four baserunners in a row from Kerry Carpenter’s single, Riley Greene’s walk, Spencer Torkelson’s single and Colt Keith’s single.
Those plate appearances resulted in a 3-1 lead.
The Tigers took a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning on Kevin McGonigle’s double down the left-field line, featuring an aggressive send from third-base coach Joey Cora that surprised Caballero in left field.
A surprised Caballero hesitated and threw the ball away.
Riley Greene boosted the Tigers’ lead to 5-1.
He punished Cole’s middle-middle changeup for a solo home run to right-center field, crushing it 422 feet with a 107.5 mph exit velocity. The 25-year-old has nine home runs in 78 games – and five homers through 18 games in June, which is a 162-game pace of 45 home runs.
Along with the recent power surge, the 2026 version of Greene continues to provide improved plate discipline with more walks and fewer strikeouts compared to the 2025 version.
Next up
The Tigers and Yankees meet again Tuesday (6:40 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) in the second of three games in the series – and the second of six games between the teams during a 10-game-stretch.
The probable pitchers: Right-hander Casey Mize for the Tigers and left-hander Carlos Rodón for the Yankees.
Mize has a 2.58 ERA in 10 starts; Rodón has a 3.50 ERA in seven starts.
After this series, the Tigers play four games against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park, then travel to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, from June 29-July 1.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers score: Framber Valdez outduels Gerrit Cole in win
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