DETROIT -- One of baseball¡¯s common refrains is to move on to the next play after making an error. But what happens when moving on includes a move from the infield to the mound?

¡°Well, not walking a guy and giving up a homer,¡± said a half-joking Tigers utilityman Zach McKinstry, who found himself in that position in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not how you do it.¡±

It wasn¡¯t penance for McKinstry, but a bizarre set of circumstances -- including an admitted managerial mistake -- that led him from a three-run error at third base to pitching against the next three hitters in the Tigers¡¯ 11-5 loss to the Twins in 12 innings.

McKinstry played the entire game, starting at shortstop, then shifting to third when Javier B¨¢ez entered at short for the 11th inning. The Tigers were on their fourth pitcher at that point, stretching closer Jason Foley for a second inning of work in hopes of giving Detroit a chance at a win.

Both teams scored a run in the 11th, sending the game to the 12th and Detroit to former closer Alex Lange.

Lange walked in a run, but he struck out back-to-back hitters and was a strike away from sending a one-run game to the bottom of the 12th. He and Twins DH Ryan Jeffers battled for 12 pitches, including six foul balls after an 0-2 count.

With a full count and runners on the move, Lange threw his 36th pitch of the inning, a curveball that Jeffers hit on the ground to third. The ball hopped under McKinstry¡¯s glove as he shifted over and it rolled to the left-field corner as the bases cleared.

¡°Played myself into a bad hop,¡± McKinstry said of the error. ¡°Got a little too aggressive on it, maybe should¡¯ve retreated a little bit. It just took a weird hop on me.¡±

The play ballooned the Twins¡¯ lead to 8-4. With a four-run game in extras, Lange nearing 40 pitches and the Tigers still looking at another nine-inning game to follow, manager A.J. Hinch contemplated using a position player to pitch. Normally by rule, a four-run game would be too close for that, but in extra innings, a position player can pitch regardless of the score.

Out came Hinch to let Lange know that Manuel Margot would be his last hitter. But since that was the Tigers¡¯ second mound visit of the inning -- pitching coach Chris Fetter had visited three batters earlier after the bases-loaded walk -- Hinch had to take out Lange immediately.

¡°The 12th was a mess of an inning, and I messed up,¡± said Hinch, who had started walking back to the dugout when home-plate umpire CB Bucknor let him know. ¡°I wanted to go tell Lange that I was bringing in a position player after one more batter, so I asked CB if I had a visit.

¡°He took it to mean the visits [remaining for the game], and Fetter had gone what felt like forever ago [out to the mound]. So, I screwed that up totally.¡±

The position player was McKinstry, who pitched in a game for the Tigers last year. McKinstry knew that with Zack Short gone, he was the likely option if the Tigers needed a position player to pitch this season. He just didn¡¯t know it was then and there.

¡°I had no idea,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°A.J. came out and he was like, ¡®Hey, Z-Mac, you¡¯re going to pitch.¡¯ I¡¯m like, ¡®Sure, whatever you need.¡¯¡±

McKinstry, whose limited arsenal ranges between 50 and 68 mph, walked Margot before Matt Wallner hit a slider for a three-run homer. McKinstry finally got the last out by retiring Byron Buxton.

¡°Just a long game,¡± McKinstry said.