DETROIT — Jason Grilli has picked up a lot of saves in his years as a closer, but none tougher than what he had to do against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.

Grilli came into the game in the bottom of the 11th inning with the Pittsburgh Pirates clinging to a 1-0 lead and the heart of Detroit’s order — Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder — awaiting him.

“That’s as good as it gets in any lineup in the game,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “That’s why you have a closer.”

For Grilli, it also meant trying to finish a game at Comerica Park — a stadium where he had been booed relentlessly at the end of his four-season stint with the Tigers.

“I have nothing but great memories of this place,” Grilli said. “This is where Jim (Leyland) turned me into a reliever, and despite what the media might think I love coming back here.”

If the situation or the setting bothered Grilli, it certainly didn’t show. He struck out Hunter, Cabrera and Fielder in order, ending the game as the clock approached 11:30 p.m.

“That’s a great offense, and Miguel Cabrera is probably the best hitter in baseball right now,” Grilli said. “So I was trying to not make a big mistake, but you can’t spend much time thinking about that. You just go out there and win the game.”

Grilli certainly impressed the first of his victims while posting his 21st save in as many chances.

“I faced him when I was in Minnesota and he was here in Detroit, and he’s a different pitcher now,” Hunter said. “He’s smart and he’s got a little deception going. He jumps out at you, and before you know it, the ball is gone.”

Leyland knows just how far Grilli has come since moving to the bullpen in 2006.

“He’s found a home and he’s found a role and he’s been terrific,” he said. “That’s 21-for-21, and to do that against the heart of our order — that’s impressive.”

Grilli finished what Jeanmar Gomez had started. Gomez matched a career best with seven shutout innings in a duel with Detroit’s Rick Porcello, who worked eight.

“I was just feeling really good today,” said Gomez, who threw only 73 pitches. “Every one of my pitches was working, so I was working ahead in the count and down in the zone. That’s what made it good.”

The game was scoreless until Neil Walker — the brother-in-law of Tigers center fielder Don Kelly — homered off Jose Ortega (0-2) with one out in the top of the 11th.

“I’ve been swinging the bat really well on this road trip, and I’ve been getting the barrel on the ball just about every night,” Walker said. “That kid throws hard, but he kind of floated a slider into the strike zone and I was able to drive it.”

Mark Melanson (1-0) picked up the win with a scoreless 10th inning for Pittsburgh.