Detroit Tigers Defeat Cleveland Guardians 6-3 to Advance to ALDS: Dingler, Pérez Lead Wild Card Win

Thursday, October 2nd, 2025

Detroit Tigers Defeat Cleveland Guardians 6-3 to Advance to AL Division Series

The Detroit Tigers secured a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, clinching their spot in the American League Division Series. This marks the second consecutive year that the Tigers have advanced by winning a Wild Card Series on the road. Next, Detroit will travel to Seattle to face the Mariners in Game 1 of the Division Series on Saturday.

Key Moments of the Game

The Tigers and Guardians were tied 1-1 with two outs in the sixth inning when Dillon Dingler delivered a pivotal moment. He hit a towering 401-foot home run to left-center off Joey Cantillo, giving Detroit the lead. The homer was not only his first postseason hit but also his first postseason RBI.

Detroit broke the game open in the seventh inning. The Tigers sent 10 men to the plate and scored four crucial runs to extend their lead. With the bases loaded, Wenceel Pérez singled to right off Erik Sabrowski, driving in Javier Báez and Parker Meadows. Hunter Gaddis entered for Cleveland but surrendered RBI singles to Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, with Kerry Carpenter and Pérez both scoring.

Pitching and Defense

Kyle Finnegan picked up the win for Detroit, efficiently retiring all four batters he faced in relief. Joey Cantillo, who allowed the go-ahead homer, was charged with the loss for the Guardians.

Game Highlights

The Tigers took an early lead in the third inning. With one out and runners on the corners, Kerry Carpenter hit a grounder down the first-base line that deflected off C.J. Kayfus’s glove and rolled into foul territory. This allowed Parker Meadows to score as Carpenter reached second and Gleyber Torres advanced to third on the play, officially ruled a double.

Cleveland managed to tie the game in the fourth. George Valera led off with a double to the right-field corner and scored when José Ramírez hit a single to right-center on a full count knuckle curve from Jack Flaherty. That hit was the 40th of Ramírez’s postseason career, making him only the fifth player in Guardians history to reach the milestone.

In the eighth, Ramírez reached on a missed catch error by Detroit reliever Will Vest, bringing in Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan. However, Ramírez was thrown out at second base, thwarting further scoring chances for Cleveland.

Looking Ahead

The Tigers now prepare to face the AL West champion Mariners. Seattle had four wins over Detroit in their six regular-season matchups, setting the stage for a competitive Division Series.

In summary

The Detroit Tigers advanced to the American League Division Series with a 6-3 win against the Cleveland Guardians, highlighted by Dillon Dingler’s clutch home run and a four-run seventh inning. Solid relief pitching from Kyle Finnegan and timely hitting by Wenceel Pérez, Spencer Torkelson, and Riley Greene powered Detroit past Cleveland. The Tigers look to carry this momentum as they face the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.

MLB Schedules

Today's MLB Games

There are no baseball games today.

Tomorrow's MLB Games

There are no baseball games tomorrow.

Yesterday's MLB Games

There were no baseball games yesterday.