Detroit Tigers head to Seattle for American League Division Series -- what to know

DETROIT – Since the Tigers will be taking their talents to Seattle for the first two games of the division series, let’s look back at what they did against the Mariners this year, and compare some numbers for both managers and teams.

First series: Tigers win series 2-1

Game one: Tarik Skubal vs. Luis Castillo, Mariners win 3-2

• Skubal pitched 5.2 innings, 3 runs, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
• Tigers went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position

Game two: Casey Mize vs. Logan Gilbert, Tigers win 4-1

• Mize pitched 5.2 innings, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
• Greene 2-for-4 with a double and a home run
• McKinstry 1-for-4 with a stolen base

Game three: Jackson Jobe vs. Emerson Hancock, Tigers win 9-6

• Jobe pitched 4 innings, 3 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts
• Tigers 18 hits, 5 total strikeouts, 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position

Second series: Mariners sweep Tigers

Game one: Logan Gilbert vs. Jack Flaherty, Mariners win 8-4

• Gilbert 5 innings, 0 earned runs, 9 strikeouts
• Mariners hit 5 total home runs

Game two: George Kirby vs. Casey Mize, Mariners win 15-7

• Kirby 5 innings, 4 runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
• Mize 3 innings, 6 runs, 4 strikeouts
• Mariners 8-for-19 with RISP, 19 total hits

Game three: Luis Castillo vs. Tarik Skubal, Mariners win 12-3

• Skubal 5 innings, 4 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
• Cal Raleigh 2 home runs
• Mariners scored 7 runs in the ninth inning off Carlos Hernandez and Brant Hurter

Next, let’s take a look at manager experience, and some statistics for both teams this year.

Managers

AJ Hinch:

• Managed Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers
• Postseason record: 34-26
• Won World Series with 2017 Houston Astros
• Led Tigers to ALDS in 2024 and 2025

Dan Wilson:

• Hired as Mariners’ manager after Scott Servais fired in August 2024
• Worked as the Mariners’ minor league catching coordinator in 2013
• Career managerial record (2024 & 2025) 111-85
• 2025 Mariners record 90-72, won AL west

Catchers

This series will also feature two of the top catchers in all of MLB.

Cal Raleigh will finish as either the AL MVP or the runner-up to Aaron Judge this season, after he hit 60 home runs with a .247/.359/.589 slash line. He led the league in homers and was one of only two catchers in MLB not to allow a single passed ball.

The other? Dillon Dingler.

In his first full season as Detroit’s starting catcher, Dingler was phenomenal behind the dish and and managing the pitching staff.

He also hit 13 homers, 21 doubles, and posted a 108 OPS+ -- one of the better numbers in the league for a catcher.

Dingler delivered the biggest hit of the wildcard series, breaking a 1-1 tie late in Game 3 with a 401-homer to left-center.

2025 stats

Runs scored in 2025:

• Seattle 766
• Detroit 758

Runs allowed in 2025:

• Seattle 694
• Detroit 691

We can look at the history, but in the postseason every team has a clean slate. The Mariners will be coming off five days of rest for Game one Saturday, and the Tigers coming off a big win in Cleveland and one day of rest.

As of this posting, Division Series rosters and pitching matchups have yet to be released.