In the Wild Card Series Game 3 in Cleveland, the Detroit Tigers defeated the Guardians 6–3 to clinch the series and advance to the AL Division Series. Detroit struck first in the 3rd inning on a Pittsburgh Pirate-filled error (Kerry Carpenter’s grounder deflected for an out but Parker Meadows scored) to lead 1–0. Cleveland tied it in the 4th when George Valera led off with a double and scored on José Ramírez’s RBI single.
The game remained 1–1 until the top of the 6th, when Tigers C Dillon Dingler hit a solo home run (401 ft) off Guardians starter Joey Cantillo to put Detroit ahead. In the 7th inning, Detroit sent ten batters to the plate in a four-run rally: Wenceel Pérez delivered a two-run single, and Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene followed with run-scoring singles, putting Detroit up 6–1. Cleveland added two runs in the bottom of the 8th on a throwing error by reliever Will Vest (Ramírez and Brayan Rocchio scored), but the Tigers bullpen closed out the 6–3 win.
Detroit’s victory on the road marked its second straight season winning the Wild Card Series away from home, and the Tigers will face the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.
Key Player Performances
- Dillon Dingler (DET, C) – 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI. Dingler’s sixth-inning solo home run broke the 1–1 tie. It was his first career postseason hit and RBI.
- Wenceel Pérez (DET, RF) – 1-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI. After entering the game 0-for-XX in the postseason, Pérez crushed a two-run single in the 7th inning that drove in Javier Báez and Parker Meadows, igniting the four-run rally.
- Spencer Torkelson (DET, 1B) – 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI. Torkelson hit an RBI single in the 7th (scoring Carpenter) as part of Detroit’s big inning.
- Riley Greene (DET, LF) – 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI. Greene added the third RBI in the 7th with a run-scoring single to right-center.
- Kyle Finnegan (DET, RP) – 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (W). In relief of starter Jhanifer Flaherty, Finnegan retired all four batters he faced (including three groundouts) to earn the win.
- José Ramírez (CLE, 3B) – 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI. Ramírez delivered the Guardians’ first run with a fourth-inning RBI single (scoring Valera). He later scored on the 8th-inning error but was thrown out stealing.
- Cody Cecconi (CLE, SP) – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (earned), 1 BB, 3 K. The Guardians’ starter kept Detroit at bay through 2+ innings, allowing only the unearned run on the third-inning scoring play.
- Joey Cantillo (CLE, LHP) – 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (earned), 2 BB, 3 K (L). Cantillo took the loss, surrendering the go-ahead home run to Dingler in the 6th. His line shows 1 ER on 2 hits and 2 walks.
Below is a summary table of each team’s key batting and pitching statistics (from the official box score):
| Detroit Tigers – Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | K |
| Gleyber Torres (2B) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kerry Carpenter (DH) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Wenceel Pérez (RF) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Spencer Torkelson (1B) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Riley Greene (LF) | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dillon Dingler (C) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Zack McKinstry (3B) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Javier Báez (SS) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Parker Meadows (CF) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 36 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| Detroit Tigers – Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Jhanifer Flaherty (SP) | 4.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Kyle Finnegan (W, 1-0) (RP) | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Triston McKenzie (RP) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tyler Kahnle (RP) | 0.1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Vest (RP) | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Cleveland Guardians – Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | K |
| Steven Kwan (LF) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Valera (RF) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| José Ramírez (3B) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kevin Manzardo (DH) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Chase DeLauter (CF) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gabriel Arias (SS) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Daniel Schneemann (PH) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bo Naylor (C) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C.J. Kayfus (1B) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brayan Rocchio (2B) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Team Totals | 31 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Cleveland Guardians – Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Cody Cecconi (SP) | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Trenton McKenzie (RP) | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Joey Cantillo (L, 0-1) (SP) | 2.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Erik Sabrowski (RP) | 0.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter Gaddis (RP) | 0.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Micael Festa (RP) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Logan Allen (RP) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cade Smith (RP) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
Final Thoughts
The Tigers’ 6–3 win not only decided the series but also showcased Detroit’s late-season momentum. Detroit will now travel to Seattle to face the Mariners in the AL Division Series. This triumph capped a remarkable turnaround for the Tigers – they lost five straight series to end the regular season but rebounded to win their first postseason round. Conversely, the Guardians saw their season end despite a historic comeback to win the AL Central.
Cleveland was competitive (scoring first and tying the game) but ultimately could not match Detroit’s timely hitting. In particular, the combination of strong starting pitching and relief by Kyle Finnegan gave Detroit the edge. As Finnegan noted, Detroit “threw a big punch” when it mattered. In sum, the Tigers’ late hits and bullpen efficiency proved decisive, and they enter the ALDS with momentum on the road