CLEVELAND — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch reminded his team and the media before the Wild Card Series that the regular season is thrown out the window come playoff time.
Detroit got the last laugh against the team that chased them down in the American League Central standings.
Cleveland forced a third and deciding game three today with their win on Wednesday, tying the series at one game apiece.
Detroit was just 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position in the loss, and turned that around in the fourth inning when they grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a Kerry Carpenter double that scored Parker Meadows from third.
The Tigers sent Jack Flaherty to the mound for game three, and he provided a solid outing, going 4 and 2/3 innings and surrendering one run in the fourth inning to tie things.
The game would stay deadlocked at one until the sixth inning, when catcher Dillon Dingler belted a solo home run to retake the lead.
Detroit’s offense then erupted in the seventh. Javy Baez led off the inning with his fifth hit of the series on a double off the wall. Parker Meadows followed with a bunt single, then the bases were loaded on an intentional walk to Kerry Carpenter after another bunt led to the first out of the inning.
The Tigers’ next three hitters, Wenceel Perez, Spencer Torkelson, and Riley Greene, laced singles and plated four runs to make the score 6-1.
The Guardians responded with two of their own in the bottom half on a Tigers error, but Will Vest shut Cleveland down in order in the ninth inning and gave Detroit a Wild Card Series win for the second straight season.
They will now face the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS beginning on Saturday.
The Tigers will play the Mariners in a best-of-five series with Game 1 at 8:38 p.m. Oct. 4, Game 2 at 8:03 p.m. Oct. 5, Game 3 in Detroit on Oct. 7 and Game 4 in Detroit (if needed) on Oct. 8 and Game 5 (it needed) back in Seattle on Oct 10. Times will be announced later for games 4 and 5.
