Dillon Dingler sent one over the fence in the sixth frame, Wenceel Pérez drove in two RBIs during a four-run seventh, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Guardians by a score of 6-3 on Thursday’s game to progress to the ALDS.
For the second consecutive year, the Tigers have won a Wild Card Series away from home. The Tigers head to Seattle for the AL Division Series with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday.
The AL West champion Mariners, the No. 2 seed, won four out of six regular-season matchups from the Tigers, who were the third wild card.
Ramírez drove in Cleveland’s first run. The Guardians, AL Central champs were 15 and a half games back in early July before completing the largest rally in division or league history in MLB history.
However, they lost momentum in the three-game series as the Tigers moved on after posting the second-worst record in the major leagues in last month (7-17).
The game was tied 1-all with two away in the sixth when the catcher got an elevated changeup from Cantillo on a 1-1 count and sent it 401 feet into the bleachers in left-center field to give Detroit the lead.
It was also the first postseason hit and RBI for the Tigers catcher.
The Tigers then broke it open in the seventh inning by bringing up ten hitters to the dish and racking up four runs.
With one out and the bases loaded, Pérez singled sharply to right field off Erik Sabrowski to drive in Javier Báez and Meadows. Gaddis entered and allowed run-scoring singles to Spencer Torkelson and Greene, which plated Kerry Carpenter and Pérez.
Finnegan got the win, setting down all four hitters he faced. Cantillo took the loss.
The Detroit team got on the board first in the third. With one out and runners on the corners, Carpenter grounded a ball down the first-base side that ricocheted off CJ Kayfus’ mitt when he attempted a backhand grab. The ball skidded into foul ground near the stands as Parker Meadows crossed the plate, Carpenter went to second and Torres advanced to third on what the official scorer ruled a double.
The Cleveland squad tied it in the fourth. Valera started the inning with a double to the right-field alley and scored on José Ramírez’s base hit to right-center on a knuckle-curve by the pitcher on a full count.
The base hit was the fortieth knock of Ramírez’s playoff career, making him the fifth individual in franchise history to reach that milestone.
In the eighth inning, Ramírez reached on a fielding miscue by Vest to score Brayan Rocchio and Kwan. But he was thrown out at second.
