ALDS: Tigers’ Bats Awaken with 9-3 Rout of Mariners

The win evens the best-of-five series at two games apiece, forcing a decisive Game 5 on Friday back in Seattle.

For the first four innings, it felt like another long afternoon for the Tigers faithful. Mariners starter Bryce Miller kept the home team silent, while Seattle scraped across a 3-0 lead. The Mariners first put a run on the board with an RBI groundout in the fourth off Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan. In the top of the fifth, a single by Randy Arozarena and a wild pitch put him in scoring position for Cal Raleigh, who delivered his seventh hit of the series to extend the lead to three runs.

The boos were beginning to cascade down from the Comerica Park stands, but that’s when the tide of the entire series turned.

The Fifth-Inning Spark

The Tigers’ comeback began with a two-out rally in the fifth inning against Miller. Dillon Dingler ripped an RBI double to left-center field, finally putting Detroit on the board and ending Miller’s 23 1/3-inning scoreless streak against the Tigers. Seattle manager Dan Wilson immediately went to his bullpen, but the move backfired.

Pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones lined the first pitch he saw from left-hander Gabe Speier for an RBI double to make it 3-2. Then, with the crowd suddenly back in the game, Javier Báez singled up the middle to tie the score at 3-3.

The Home Run Barrage

The Tigers’ stars then took the game into their own hands in the sixth.

Riley Greene, who had struggled through the series, led off the inning by absolutely crushing a hanging slider from Speier deep over the right-center field fence. The 454-foot solo shot was Greene’s first career postseason home run and gave the Tigers their first lead of the day, 4-3.

The hit parade continued. After a single and an RBI single by Zach McKinstry, Báez stepped up with a man on. He connected with a fastball from reliever Eduard Bazardo, launching a towering two-run home run to left field to cap a four-run inning, pushing the lead to a commanding 7-3.

The dagger came in the seventh, courtesy of Gleyber Torres, who led off the inning with a solo home run to right field off Carlos Vargas, extending the lead to 8-3. An RBI groundout by Báez in the eighth tacked on the final run for the 9-3 final score.

Pitching Holds the Line

While the offense took the headlines, the Tigers’ bullpen held the line after a shaky start. Game 1 starter Troy Melton, making an appearance out of the bullpen, earned the win after tossing three scoreless innings of relief.

The Mariners, who relied heavily on their bullpen in the first three games, saw their relievers surrender seven earned runs in less than four innings of work. The nine runs scored were the most for the Tigers in a postseason game since Game 6 of the 1968 World Series.

The series now shifts back to T-Mobile Park in Seattle for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday, with the Tigers sending presumptive AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to the mound against Mariners right-hander George Kirby. For both teams, it’s one game for a trip to the American League Championship Series.