Guardians no match for Tarik Skubal as Tigers scratch out Game 1 victory

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Sep 30, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CLEVELAND — The last time Tarik Skubal walked off the mound at Progressive Field, he’d just given up three runs without a ball leaving the infield and had a sick feeling in his gut after inadvertently hitting David Fry in the face with a fastball.

A week later, he walked off triumphantly, putting his arm around Javier Báez and accepting congratulations from manager AJ Hinch and the rest of the Tigers’ infielders.

Skubal struck out a career-high and a franchise playoff-record-tying 14 in 7 2/3 innings, helping the Tigers beat the Guardians, 2-1, in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series Tuesday.

He allowed three hits (two of them infield hits) and one run. The Guardians put just four balls out of the infield and whiffed on 26 of their 56 swings against Skubal — 12 whiffs on 16 swings at his changeup.

The definitive inning was the seventh. The Tigers had just broke a 1-1 tie and Skubal responded by striking out the side, emphatically. He blew a 99.7-mph four-seamer past Kyle Manzardo, a 100-mph four-seamer by Gabriel Arias and then a 101-mph sinker by Brayan Rocchio.

Skubal stomped and screamed his way back to the dugout as only he can.

Will Vest cleaned up the final out in the eighth and then worked out of jam in the ninth. Leading off, Jose Ramirez hit a grounder to Báez, who was forced to throw to first from his knees. Spencer Torkelson was unable to knock it down and Ramirez advanced all the way to third.

Vest struck out George Valera and Kyle Manzardo hit one back to Vest, who caught Ramirez in a rundown between third and home. CJ Kayfus popped out to Báez to end the game.

Hinch deplores the bunt. To him, it’s giving away an at-bat and you are only guaranteed 27 outs in a game. But, tie game, late in Game 1, he was willing to do anything to win.

So, in the top of the seventh inning, the Tigers had runners at first and third with one out. Guardians’ reliever Hunter Gaddis had just struck out Dillon Dingler. It was imperative that the ball be moved forward.

Zach McKinstry obliged, executing a safety squeeze to perfection. He pushed Gaddis’ first pitch toward first base, which allowed Riley Greene to score without a throw.

It was just the sixth sacrifice bunt of any kind attempted by the Tigers this season.

The Guardians know a little bit about that style of play. Last Tuesday, the Guardians scored three runs off Skubal without a ball leaving the infield. They should trademark it. They tied the game in the fourth, again without hitting a ball out of the infield.

Angel Martinez led off with an infield single. The ball traveled four feet. Skubal had two strikes on him and had him beat with 100 mph fastball, but Martinez fouled it straight back and it broke some signage behind the plate.

It took several minutes to clean up the shards. Then came the four-foot single.

Skubal walked Ramirez but recovered, striking out Johnathan Rodriguez and Manzardo.

Arias hit a high-chopper over the mound. Skubal didn’t catch it on the fly but he picked it up and made a loopy throw to the plate.

Martinez alertly steamed around third and didn’t break stride. He was initially called out, but replays showed he was safe and the call was overturned.

The Tigers, as they had in the three previous games in Cleveland, scored first. With two outs in the first inning, Kerry Carpenter singled and went to second when right fielder Rodriguez couldn’t field it cleanly.

Torkelson delivered the two-out RBI single.

They had Guardians’ starter Gavin Williams on the ropes in the third inning when Báez (two hits) singled and Parker Meadows walked. But Williams got Gleyber Torres to hit into a 6-4-3 double play, killing the inning.

The bats went still after that. Williams set down 11 of 12 entering the seventh inning.

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