CLEVELAND – Tie – hold your breath, something magical is about to happen.
Two outs. Two on. And Kerry Carpenter faced MLB’s premier closer, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase.
This was the game. Maybe the series.
But Carpenter turned on a slider and crushed it 450 feet to right field. No, he killed it by hitting a three-run homer to give the Detroit Tigers a dramatic 3-0 victory in Game 2 of the ALDS at Progressive Field on Monday afternoon.
What an ending to a great game.
Because this one had everything.
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A great double play from Tigers rookies.
A controversial diving catch by Cleveland left fielder Steven Kwan. Wait, was it a catch? Yes? No? It doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
But above all, there was sensational pitching.
The excited Tarik Skubal was simply brilliant, throwing seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and scattering three hits. He pulled off a perfect game in the fifth inning and has now thrown 13 scoreless innings in his first two postseason starts, putting him in historic MLB company.
And as he walked off the mound and reached the dugout, he received both a handshake and a hug from manager AJ Hinch.
But Cleveland’s pitchers were just as effective. Matthew Boyd, the former Tiger, threw 4⅔ innings and struck out five, creating some drama. Back then, the Guardians’ bullpen was fantastic.
Until Carpenter did his magic.
The Tigers and Guardians have an off day on Tuesday before Wednesday’s Game 3 at Comerica Park in Detroit (3:08 p.m., TBS). Game 4 is Thursday night. A potential Game 5 is Saturday in Cleveland.
Tarik Skubal’s almost perfect start
Midway through the fifth inning, Skubal was simply perfect, retiring 13 in a row. No hits. No walks. No running. He was in complete control, dominating the Guardians and doing almost anything he wanted.
But he made a big mistake against Josh Naylor, leaving a fastball over the middle of the plate, and Naylor promptly doubled for Cleveland’s first hit.
Then things went from bad to worse when Skubal hit Jhonkensy Noel in the hand, and the Guardians had guys on first and second with one out. But Andrés Giménez grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.
Skubal again had to deal with a malfunction in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Brayan Rocchio doubled to left and Kwan found a gap on the left side of the infield.
But Riley Greene quickly found out in left field and Rocchio stopped at third. That put runners on first and third with David Fry at the plate and José Ramírez on deck.
After a mound visit from pitching coach Chris Fetter, Skubal got Fry to ground out to the shortstop.
Trey Sweeney handled it perfectly, feeding Colt Keith and the two rookies turned another double play.
Skubal came down from the hill and waved to the crowd, as if to say: Bring it, baby. Scream louder. I challenge you.
Ever the competitor, Skubal was pure emotion and confidence.
He walked to the dugout with a smile on his face, gave a high five to the Tigers’ secret cog, catcher Jake Rogers, and looked out at the crowd. Smiling. And nodded his head.
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With Skubal on the mound, especially when he looks dominant, you start to think: Man, the Tigers just need a point to win this.
And they had a big chance in the fourth inning. Wenceel Pérez doubled to left and advanced to third base on a flyout by Spencer Torkelson. That brought up Parker Meadows with one out. But Boyd struckout Meadows on a slider and also struckout Rogers.
In the eighth inning, the Tigers got another chance. Matt Vierling doubled and Greene was walked intentionally. And Cleveland brought in Clase to face Pérez.
Perez lined a ball to left field and Kwan dove for a sliding catch.
Or did he?
Even Cleveland’s radio announcers thought it was a hit, but after a video review, the officials upheld the catch.
“The on-field call stands,” the referee said.
A battle of stars
Although baseball is a team sport, the individual battles can be fascinating.
And that was the case when Skubal faced Ramírez.
Ramírez led the Guardians in nearly every category: hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and OPS.
And it was crucial for the Tigers to slow him down.
In the first inning, Skubal ran with the heat. He threw him five consecutive fastballs and then changed course, threw him a few changeups and struck him out.
In the fourth inning, Skubal went to the soft stuff, throwing him four straight changeups and striking him out.
In the seventh, Skubal mixed it up: changeup, fastball, changeup, getting him to ground out.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, visit freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kerry Carpenter Crushes HR to Lift Tigers Past Guardians 3-0 in Game 2
