Detroit Tigers at Athletics

Max Clark’s chest was tight and his feet felt heavy as he dug into the reddish-brown dirt of the batter’s box at Sutter Health Park for his first Major League plate appearance. But for the Tigers’ top prospect, those nerves didn’t last long. “As soon as that first pitch went by, I was locked in,” Clark said. That much was clear. Clark, MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 overall prospect, lived up to the hype and then some in an electric Major League debut as the Tigers beat the Athletics, 13-1, in Friday’s road series opener. Starting in center field and batting seventh in his first big league game, Clark -- called up from Triple-A Toledo -- went 3-for-4 with a walk. He scored two runs and hit a pair of doubles, including a key RBI knock as the Tigers broke the game open in a seven-run eighth inning. “He was very prepared,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Our belief in him is obviously very strong, and he showed tonight why.” The Tigers wasted no time after outfielder Matt Vierling went down with a left adductor strain in Wednesday’s 12-inning loss to the Orioles, sending word to Toledo to call up Clark. But when Mud Hens manager Jones entered the clubhouse after a 9-7 loss to Columbus on Wednesday with what looked like “a face of rage,” Clark braced himself for the worst. “I was like, ‘Oh, wow, we’re about to get torched,’” Clark recalled. Instead, Jones had good news: Clark and left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus were headed to the Major Leagues. Clark hopped a flight to Sacramento, and so did 12 of his family members. They were all in the stands at Sutter Health Park as Clark made a big league debut years in the making, and he could just make out his wife Kayli’s scream of support as he stepped into the box for the first time. “Everybody made it,” Clark said. “It was special. Everybody there put in some sort of time, some sort of effort, and they were able to just enjoy the moment.”