DETROIT – Just 16 days after he was traded to the Seattle Mariners in a three-way deal that brought David Price to the Tigers, Austin Jackson returned to Detroit with his new team in the midst of a heated playoff race.
The Tigers have fallen out of first place and trail the Mariners for the second wildcard position by 1/2 game, but for a few moments on Friday the fans cheered and focused on the return of their former center fielder.
Recommended Videos
Jackson played the first four and a half seasons of his Major League career in Detroit, picking up 743 hits, 46 home runs, 234 RBI and a .277 batting average.
When he came to the plate to lead off the game, the crowd gave him a standing ovation that you can watch in the video below.
Jackson grounded out to second base in that at-bat.
In his second at-bat Jackson grounded into a double play. In the fourth inning he nearly grounded into a second double play, but a errant throw by Ian Kinsler allowed Jackson to reach on a fielder's choice. A few pitches later Jackson was thrown out stealing second base by Bryan Holaday.
Jackson's fourth ground out came in the seventh inning. He struck out in his final at-bat in the ninth inning against lefty Ian Krol.
Seattle's new center fielder is batting .226 with a double and five RBI in his first 13 games with the team. The Mariners will play in Detroit on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon before heading to Philadelphia.