Trey Hillman
On July 21, the Royals suffered their worst defeat of the season, and the Tigers registered their first victory over Kansas City in 2008 with a score of 19-4. By the seventh inning, it was 9-0 in favor of Detroit. The Tigers' 10-run eighth inning mostly came against Jimmy Gobble, who was charged with all 10 runs. At one point in the inning, Gobble allowed six straight hits, the last being a home run by Gary Sheffield. His ERA spiraled from 7.99 to 11.31. Gobble faced 12 hitters in the inning before Hillman finally called for Leo Núñez to substitute. The Royals, behind 19-0, finally broke through with four runs in their half of the eighth. They had five straight hits, including Billy Butler's two-run single. Manager Trey Hillman said following the game: