LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty said after Sunday’s game that it felt good to finally face hitters in a different uniform. Then he caught himself.

The Tigers wore their new orange alternate jerseys Sunday afternoon at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. The visiting Baltimore Orioles were also clad in a very similar orange. At times, it was difficult to tell which team was at the plate and which was in the field.

In the end, it hardly mattered, as the orange-on-orange matchup finished in a 4-4 tie in the Tigers’ first home exhibition of the spring.

Flaherty threw just one, 18-pitch inning. He struck out Colton Cowser and allowed a wind-aided solo home run to Heston Kjerstad.

“It was good to be back out there in a game environment and get the adrenaline up a little bit,” Flaherty said.

“In one inning of work, you’re just trying to figure out ways to get guys out. It feels good for the way the ball’s coming out right now. A little bit easier than it maybe it did last year, a little closer to 2024, just in the way the body feels, the way the ball’s coming out. It’s a good spot to be in.”

Flaherty said he strives to compete, not just practice, in spring training.

“It can’t just be about working on things,” he said. “Physically, there are going to be ups and downs, the way it is in the season. But mentally, can you be there and compete for that one inning or that two innings, whatever it ends up being?”

Offensively, veteran outfielder Austin Slater, in camp as a non-roster invitee, homered in his spring debut. Rookie Max Clark delivered a two-out single against former Tiger Andrew Magno in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game.

Orioles slugger Pete Alonso homered off Tigers lefty Connor Pilkington. Alonso has homered in each of his first two spring games with Baltimore.

The Tigers issued only three walks, a notable improvement after handing out 11 free passes in their opener on Saturday in Tampa.