Li Haoyu homered, but Deng Kaiwei may be demoted to Triple-A after leaving the mound in the 3.2nd inning.

During the second Taiwan-born pitcher-batter duel ever in the MLB, the Detroit Tigers fell 6-8 to the Houston Astros at home. Li Haoyu of the Tigers recorded two hits in four at-bats, including his third career homer, showcasing strong performance. On the other side, Deng Kaiwei of the Astros exited after 3.2 innings, surrendering five runs, and reports later indicated he might be sent down to Triple-A.

Deng Kaiwei is a right-handed pitcher, but Li Haoyu still got the start today, and the two faced off in two at-bats once again. The first plate appearance came in the bottom of the second inning with one out and a runner on first. Li Haoyu attacked the first pitch, a sinker, and lined a single to right field with an exit velocity of 97.8 mph (about 157.4 km/h). In the bottom of the third, again with one out and a runner on first, the count went to 2-0, and Li Haoyu fouled off an outside fastball into a flyout to right field.

Deng Kaiwei, who had no strikeouts, allowed three hits but no runs through the first two innings, suddenly lost control in the bottom of the third. Facing the first four batters, he issued one walk and one hit-by-pitch, and Astros second baseman Jose Altuve also committed an error. With the bases loaded and one out, Deng Kaiwei gave up a grand slam to Kerry Carpenter, suffering a massive blow instantly.

In the bottom of the fourth, Deng Kaiwei faced only three batters, allowing three more hits and another run before being pulled with two outs and runners on second and third. He threw 58 pitches over just 3.2 innings, recording only one strikeout, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch, while giving up eight hits and five runs (four earned).

After Deng Kaiwei left, Li Haoyu faced left-hander Steven Okert in the bottom of the fifth with one out and launched a solo home run. The 93.8 mph blast to center field was his third homer of the season, giving the Tigers a 6-4 lead.

However, the Tigers failed to score afterward. In the bottom of the seventh with no outs and a runner on second, Li Haoyu faced right-hander AJ Blubaugh and flied out to center field. The Astros pulled within one run in the seventh, then scored three runs on four hits in the top of the eighth to complete the comeback, eventually winning by two runs.

Li Haoyu finished the game 2-for-4 with a home run. Over 45 games and 125 plate appearances this season, he has posted a .261 batting average, .290 on-base percentage, and .395 slugging percentage. In 13 games since returning to the majors, his numbers have climbed to .389/.405/.528.

In five June starts, Deng Kaiwei allowed at least five runs in four of them, failed to complete five innings or record 13 outs in three outings, and rumors emerged after the game that he might be demoted to Triple-A.