Mariners Fall to Tigers in AL Division Series Opener
In a tightly contested matchup in Seattle, Zach McIntley proved to be the hero, delivering a critical hit with two outs during the 11th inning to secure a 3-2 victory for the Detroit Tigers over the Mariners in Game 1 of the AL Division Series on Saturday.
Kelly Carpenter made headlines by hitting the Tigers’ fifth two-run homer, helping the team rebound after a shaky period in the AL Central. They managed to claw their way into the playoffs despite earlier struggles.
Having previously triumphed in the wild card series against Cleveland, the Tigers are now looking to capitalize and take a commanding lead in this best-of-five series against Seattle, which is the AL West champion. They face Aisterics Cuvall on Sunday.
In a defining moment of the game, McIntley connected on a blazing 99.6 mph sinker from pitcher Carlos Vargas, bringing Spencer Torkelson home from second base.
Torkelson, who walked earlier in the inning, made it to second base due to Vargas’ wild pitch. It’s worth noting that unlike the regular season, there are no automatic runners on base to start extra innings in the postseason.
This loss marked Seattle’s second consecutive postseason defeat at home, adding to the disappointment following their 1-0 loss to Houston in extraordinary fashion last year.
Will Best was pivotal for the Tigers, throwing two flawless innings to clinch the victory, while Kieder Montero recorded his first major league save after completing three outs. Montero has started his postseason career without allowing a run, contributing to the impressive performance of the Detroit bullpen.
Seattle was the first to score, thanks to Julio Rodriguez’s solo homer in the fourth inning, marking an impressive season where he recorded over 30 home runs and stole 30 bases.
However, the Tigers quickly responded. Carpenter hit a powerful two-strike fastball from right-handed pitcher George Kirby, sending it over the right-field seats to put Detroit ahead 2-1.
Although left-hander Gabe Speyer was warming up in the bullpen, manager Dan Wilson chose to keep Kirby on the mound against Carpenter. This decision proved costly; Carpenter has now hit five home runs off Kirby, making him one of only four players in MLB history to achieve such a feat against a specific pitcher. This was Carpenter’s second postseason home run, adding to his regular season total of 26.
Despite Kirby’s solid outing that lasted five innings, the Mariners couldn’t easily shake off the Tigers. In the sixth inning, Rodriguez managed an RBI single to tie the game at two.
Seattle closer Andres Munoz, a rookie in 2019, had shown promise with two scoreless innings. However, the Mariners struggled to generate hits beyond Rodriguez and MVP candidate Cal Laurie.
