The Detroit Tigers pulled off a gritty comeback Thursday night, toppling the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series to secure their spot in the American League Division Series. It was a tale of late-inning drama at Progressive Field, where Detroit's bats finally heated up after a shaky start to the postseason. Dillon Dingler's homer in the sixth and a four-run seventh inning sealed the deal, sending the Tigers westward to face the Seattle Mariners starting this weekend.
Indeed, the matchup pits the sixth-seeded Tigers against the No. 2 Mariners, who earned home-field advantage with their AL West crown and a 90-72 regular-season mark. Seattle's pitching depth, led by aces like Luis Castillo, looks formidable, but Detroit's Tarik Skubal—fresh off a 14-strikeout gem in Game 1 against Cleveland—could tilt the scales early. The Tigers, at 87-75, enter as underdogs, their September slump a lingering shadow that they exorcised just in time.
The ALDS schedule kicks off Saturday, October 4, at T-Mobile Park. Game 1 starts at either 1:08 p.m. PT if the Red Sox advance on the other side of the bracket, or 5:38 p.m. PT if it's the Yankees—networks FOX and FS1 handling the broadcast. Game 2 follows Sunday at 5:03 p.m. PT, also in Seattle. Should the series extend, Game 3 shifts to Comerica Park on Tuesday, October 7, with potential Games 4 and 5 on Wednesday and Thursday thereafter. Travel logistics alone make this a grueling early test for Detroit's momentum.
However, the Mariners aren't invincible; their offense has sputtered at times, relying heavily on Julio Rodríguez's spark. For the Tigers, this is redemption after blowing a 15-game division lead—now, they chase deeper into October. Moreover, with the AL bracket reshaping around this clash, every pitch carries weight in a format that's seen upsets since the 2022 wild-card expansion.
One wonders if Detroit's resilience will hold against Seattle's home roar, or if the Mariners' experience tips the balance in this unpredictable playoff dance.