'He's a beauty': Texas native Rogers powers Tigers to win over Rangers

ARLINGTON -- Drive about six hours northwest of Globe Life Field, changing highways through a handful of small Texas towns as you meander towards the panhandle, and you'll run into Canyon, the hometown of Tigers catcher Jake Rogers. At nearly 400 miles, it's an incredibly long drive without crossing a state line. Most of Rogers' family has left Canyon but they are still in the region.

"There's a lot of people from Crosbyton, Lubbock, Slaton, small towns all around that area," said Rogers, who estimated he left about 20 tickets. "And a few from Dallas."

Rogers made sure the trip was worth their while. While he could be proud of catching another Tarik Skubal gem, his family and friends could be proud of Rogers' two home runs, powering the Tigers to a 2-1 win.

"I don't know if my family would let me back if I left Texas without a homer," Rogers joked.

It was fitting since the game was a microcosm of how Rogers has become part of this young Tigers team's family.

Rogers has worked with Skubal since 2020, when they were teammates at the alternate site. He knows Skubal's tendencies as much as his temperament. When Skubal has trouble completing the crossword puzzle on his start day before his pregame routine, Rogers will help finish it.

Rogers also knows Skubal's sense of humor. So when Skubal had to call for a mound visit as he was rolling through the fourth inning, having felt something stuck in his eye, Rogers knew how to make it a lighthearted moment.

"I went out there and looked at it and told him I couldn't see anything," Rogers said. "But obviously, it was something bothering him."

After poking around Skubal's eye, Rogers then slapped him -- softly -- on the other side of his face.

"I gave him a little love tap there," Rogers said, "and I told him that I was going to take every opportunity to slap Skube on live television. We were just trying to keep it light."

"He's a beauty," Skubal said.

It was a much-needed moment on a night when Skubal threw many pitches in stressful situations. Though Skubal didn't have a 1-2-3 inning all night, his only damage was a Marcus Semien leadoff homer on Skubal's fifth pitch. Skubal paid for a well-intentioned changeup in a bad location over the plate, but Rogers kept him focused on sticking with the offspeed. Skubal finished with just 11 swinging strikes in a six-strikeout performance, but six of those swings and misses came off changeups.

"I think it's kind of the whole package back there. He gives me a ton of confidence in what I'm throwing and how he calls games," Skubal said. "We're going right after guys, and it starts with him."

Rogers was just as opportunistic as Semien when Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi, who rolled through Detroit's first eight batters, hung a curveball after Rogers fouled off back-to-back fastballs to stay alive in a 2-2 count.

The Tigers mustered just two more hits off Eovaldi over his 5 2/3 innings, and José Leclerc picked up where he left off. He'd retired his first six batters and seemingly had Rogers geared up for the fastball when he left a cutter over the middle of the plate. Rogers put it into almost the same spot in the seats near the left-field corner.

"He was our offense," manager A.J. Hinch said.

This is Rogers' offense when he's rolling. He batted just .221 with a 98 OPS+ last season, but his 21 home runs made him the first Tigers' catcher with a 20-homer campaign while playing at least 75 percent of his games at catcher since Mickey Tettleton in 1991. He makes opponents pay for mistakes.

Rogers' follow-up campaign hasn't been as powerful. He entered Monday with just two home runs on the season and left as the third catcher to post a multi-homer game against the Rangers this year, joining Oakland's Shea Langeliers and Atlanta's Travis d'Arnaud.

"Been working hard with [hitting coaches], just trying to hit the ball hard in the air again," Rogers said. "Been hitting the ball on the ground too much. It paid off."

For teammates, it paid off big. For family and friends, it was priceless.

"Coming back here and getting everybody together is a special thing," Rogers said. "Doing good in front of them makes me a little happier."