Kevin Pillar’s 10th-inning single gave the Los Angeles Angels a 6-5 walk-off win against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Manager Ron Washington saw his team get its sixth consecutive victory while the longtime skipper collected the 700th of his career.
Washington was the Texas Rangers manager from 2007 to 2014 before taking a long stint as an assistant coach for nine seasons.
The Angels came calling this offseason and the 72-year-old manager is in charge of curating a young ball club into one that can fulfill the later years of franchise outfielder Mike Trout.
The second consecutive eighth-inning home run by catcher Logan O’Hoppe tied the game before his unorthodox throw to second baseman Luis Guillorme to catch runner Riley Greene attempting to steal.
Stellar defensive play helped seal the deal for the Angels, whose winning streak is actively the longest in the league.
“Pitching, defense, timely hitting … formula, a good formula,” Washington told Bally Sports West reporter Erica Weston after the game.
After a rough patch in the first half of the season, the manager mentioned how important the initial losing helped the team learn to win — and it’s showing.
The Angels are 10-5 in the last 15 games and are expecting to see Trout, who has been sidelined since late April after surgery repaired a meniscus injury, begin the process of getting back on the field in time for the final two months.
