CLEVELAND — The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians at their own game to open the 2025 MLB playoffs.
Zach McKinstry dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt on a first-pitch changeup from right-handed reliever Hunter Gaddis with runners on the corners and one out in the seventh inning, scoring the go-ahead run.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal dominated, but the Tigers small-balled their way to a 2-1 win over the Guardians in Game 1 of the American League wild-card series in the MLB postseason
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Skubal allowed one run on three hits and three walks with 14 strikeouts across 7⅔ innings, throwing 107 pitches. His strikeout total tied a Tigers postseason record, joining Joe Coleman’s performance in Game 3 of the 1972 ALCS.
After Tuesday’s win, the 6-seed Tigers (1-0) take on the 3-seed Guardians (0-1) in Game 2 of the series Wednesday (1:08 p.m., ESPN). Right-hander Casey Mize will make his postseason debut for the Tigers, while right-hander Tanner Bibee starts for the Guardians.
The Tigers need one more win to advance in the playoffs.
The winner of the best-of-three wild-card series will play the 2-seed Seattle Mariners in the best-of-five ALDS, which begins with Game 1 on Saturday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Before McKinstry’s bunt, Riley Greene sparked the Tigers with a leadoff double and Wenceel Pérez increased the pressure by reaching safely on a fielding error by first baseman Jhonkensy Noel — both against right-hander Gavin Williams.
The Guardians replaced Williams with Gaddis.
Dillon Dingler struck out swinging, then McKinstry delivered the unexpected sacrifice bunt for a 2-1 lead. The Tigers had just five sacrifice bunts during the regular season, the fewest of any postseason team.
More notably, the Tigers never bunted with a runner on third base in the regular season.
After 7⅔ innings, the Tigers replaced Skubal with right-handed reliever Will Vest, who inherited a runner on second base. He faced pinch-hitter Bo Naylor and induced an inning-ending groundout on a changeup at the bottom of the strike zone.
The Guardians threatened in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Jose Ramírez advanced to third base with no outs on an infield single and throwing error by shortstop Javier Báez, which first baseman Spencer Torkelson couldn’t scoop.
But Vest escaped the jam.
He recorded a strikeout for the first out, then fielded a comebacker and tagged out Ramírez between third base and home plate for the second out. Báez caught the third and final out on a shallow pop fly in left field, securing the 2-1 victory.
Small ball from Guardians
The Guardians finally scored off Skubal in the fourth inning.
The ball never left the infield.
Angel Martínez hit a weak ground-ball single, then Ramírez drew a seven-pitch walk.
Although Skubal responded with back-to-back strikeouts, his momentum came to a screeching halt when Gabriel Arias hit a high chopper off home plate that landed on the infield grass between Skubal, Báez and second baseman Gleyber Torres.
The ball was nearly caught by Skubal, but he fumbled it on an over-the-shoulder attempt.
On Skubal’s throw, Martínez scored on a head-first slide into home plate. He was initially ruled out, but the Guardians challenged. Replay review overturned the call on the field.
Tigers strike first with help
During the past month, the Guardians cultivated their winning ways — en route to an AL Central title after climbing back from 15½ games behind the Tigers — with fundamentally sound baseball, including clean defense.
Not only did the Guardians make an error in the seventh inning, but they also made an error in the first inning.
On Kerry Carpenter’s single, right fielder Johnathan Rodríguez had a fielding error that allowed Carpenter to take second base. He scored when Torkelson dropped a sweeper from Williams at the bottom of the zone into left field.
The Tigers missed a scoring opportunity in the third inning after Báez’s single and Parker Meadows’ walk.
There were two runners on base and no outs, but Torres pounded a full-count sinker into the ground for a double play. The lead runner advanced to third, only for Carpenter to strike out swinging on Williams’ elevated cutter to end a nine-pitch battle.
Williams allowed two runs (zero earned runs) on five hits and one walk with eight strikeouts across six-plus innings, throwing 88 pitches.
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