DETROIT – Tarik Skubal carried the Detroit Tigers to a win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
The Tigers got a clean slate this week after going 7-17 in September to blow what was once a 15.5-game lead over the Guardians in the AL Central.
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Skubal, who made his final two starts against the Guardians in the regular season but couldn’t get any run support, took the mound in the same place where he lost Game 5 of the ALDS last season.
He was masterful, striking out 14 batters and allowing just one run on three hits and three walks across 7.2 innings.
Skubal’s only hiccup came in the fourth inning, when two softly hit infield singles sandwiched around a walk manufactured Cleveland’s lone run.
Will Vest got the final out in the eighth inning with the tying run on second. He also pitched around a three-base error that led off the ninth inning.
On offense, the Tigers got the benefit of an error in the top of the first inning that allowed Kerry Carpenter to reach second on a single. He scored a few pitches later on a Spencer Torkelson base hit.
Riley Greene led off the seventh with a double in the right-center gap, but again it was the Cleveland defense that helped them score. The second batter, Wenceel Perez, grounded out to second base, but Jhonkensy Noel couldn’t get his footing on first base to put runners on first and third.
After a Dillon Dingler strikeout, Zach McKinstry laid down a sac bunt that ultimately drove in the winning run.
Now the Tigers need to win one more game in Cleveland without the benefit of starting the best pitcher on the planet.
Casey Mize will take the mound Wednesday against Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee.