It had been a long and winding road for Gage Workman since the Detroit Tigers selected him in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft. After being taken by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 draft, getting released, picked up by the Chicago White Sox, and released again, he found himself back at Triple-A Toledo, struggling to find his footing. But on a memorable Sunday night in Kansas City, that road finally led him to the hero's circle.

Making his long-awaited Tigers debut after his contract was selected from Toledo earlier in the day—filling in for the injured Kerry Carpenter—Workman delivered a storybook moment. With two outs and two runners on in the top of the sixth inning, he crushed a pinch-hit home run to break a 3-3 tie, propelling the Tigers to a 6-3 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. It was his first big-league homer, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

The Tigers entered the game reeling from yet another injury and riding a five-game losing streak, compounded by the worst road record in baseball at 6-16. Carpenter became the 17th player from the Tigers' 40-man roster to land on the injured list—a staggering number that would have left 11 of those players on this road trip if healthy. For a team that thrives on the sum of its parts, the missing pieces were taking a toll.

"We have guys here filling in for a large list of guys who are gone, and that's not changing," manager AJ Hinch said. "Focusing on what is in front of you is way easier when you eliminate any negativity from the day."

Nine players on the active roster for the series finale either started the season at Triple-A Toledo or weren't even in the organization, including three starting position players. But despite the adversity, the Tigers found a way to snap their skid. After struggling with runners in scoring position throughout the series—going just 2-for-19 in the first two games—Detroit scored five of their six runs with two outs, proving that clutch hitting can turn the tide on any losing streak.