The Detroit Tigers have officially exorcised their late-season demons against the Cleveland Guardians.
With a 6-3 win on Thursday, Oct. 2 at Progressive Field in Cleveland in Game 3 of the wild-card series, the Tigers knocked out the Guardians and will move on to the ALDS.
A sixth-inning solo home run from catcher Dillon Dingler helped untie the game for the Tigers, and a two-RBI single from Wenceel Pérez in the seventh inning helped extend the lead. Reliever Will Vest allowed two runs in the eighth inning off an error on a wild play, but shut the Guardians offense down in the ninth inning to seal the victory.
Starting Game 3 for the Tigers today was playoff veteran Jack Flaherty, who helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 2024 World Series after a midseason trade from the Tigers. Meanwhile, the Guardians started right-hander Slade Cecconi, who went 7-7 with a 4.30 ERA over 132 innings pitched during the 2025 regular season.
The Tigers had a chance to clinch a series sweep on Wednesday, Oct. 1, but fell in a 6-1 loss to the Guardians after a late-inning bullpen collapse and an inept showing from an offense that left a postseason franchise-record 15 men on base. The loss tied the series at 1-1, making this a win-or-go-home game for both teams.
We’ll have live updates and analysis from Game 3 right here.
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Tigers win 6-3, advance to the ALDS
FINAL: Tigers 6, Guardians 3
Tigers reliever Will Vest shut down the Guardians in the bottom of the ninth inning. Tigers win 6-3, clinching the wild-card series and advancing to the ALDS against the Seattle Mariners.
Tigers batters go 1-2-3 in ninth
Middle 9th: Tigers 6, Guardians 3
Guardians closer Cade Smith got Wenceel Pérez, Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene out with an easy 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth.
The Tigers have have a three-run lead with three more outs to go to advance to the ALDS.
Will Vest error scores two for Guardians
End 8th: Tigers 6, Guardians 3
Will Vest struck out George Valera for the second out of the eighth inning, bringing up José Ramírez with two outs and two runners in scoring position.
Ramírez then hit a hard grounder to first baseman Spencer Torkelson, with Vest hustling over to cover the bag. Vest couldn’t catch the throw, however, allowing two runs to score.
Vest grabbed the ball near the Tigers’ dugout, however, throwing the ball to second base to get Ramírez out (with the call overturned after Ramírez was initially called safe). The Tigers bend but do not break in the eighth.
Tommy Kahnle knocked out of the game
Bottom eighth: Tigers 6, Guardians 1
Reliever Tommy Kahnle allowed back-to-back one-out hits in the eighth inning, a single to Brayan Rocchio and a double to Steven Kwan.
Manager A.J. Hinch is bringing in Will Vest, potentially for a five-out save, with one out in the eighth inning.
Tyler Holton pitches scoreless seventh inning
End 7th: Tigers 6, Guardians 1
Lefty reliever Tyler Holton entered the game for the Tigers looking to get three easy outs. And after allowing a two-out single to shortstop Gabriel Arias, Holton locked down the inning, getting catcher Bo Naylor to ground out and leave the Guardians scoreless in the seventh.
Tigers finish four-run inning
Middle 7th: Tigers 6, Guardians 1
The Tigers batted around in the seventh inning, with Javier Báez starting the inning with a loud leadoff double and finishing the inning with a pop-up to second base.
The Tigers scored four runs in between Báez’s at-bats and now have a five-run lead with lefty Tyler Holton coming into the game. They have nine outs to get to advance to an ALDS battle with the Mariners.
Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene extend lead
Top 7th: Tigers 6, Guardians 1
Back-to-back singles from Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene give the Tigers a 6-1 lead with one out in the seventh inning.
The Tigers now have six runs on 10 hits in a relative offensive explosion for their recently-struggling lineup.
Wenceel Pérez comes through with two-RBI single
Top 7th: Tigers 4, Guardians 1
Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis forced a groundout to second baseman Gleyber Torres that advanced center fielder Parker Meadows to second base but kept Javier Báez at third base.
Wenceel Pérez then dropped a single into left field that scored both. Tigers up by three.
Javier Báez with hard-hit leadoff double
Top 7th: Tigers 2, Guardians 1
Javier Báez hit a ball 108.5 MPH off the left field wall for a leadoff double in the seventh inning, notching the hardest-hit ball of the day. The line drive would have been a home run in 23 MLB ballparks, including Comerica Park.
A Parker Meadows sacrifice turned into a base hit with Meadows hustling down the line, putting runners on the corners with no one out. That knocked reliever Erik Sabrowski out of the game, with Hunter Gaddis coming in to replace him.
Dillon Dingler’s clutch home run
Per MLB’s Sarah Langs, Dillon Dingler’s go-ahead home run is one-of-a-kind in Tigers’ franchise history.
Dillon Dingler breaks tie with home run
Middle 6th: Tigers 2, Guardians 1
Catcher Dillon Dingler, who was without a hit all series, untied the game with a solo home run on a two-out, 1-1 changeup to left-center field.
Tigers are up with 12 outs needed to advance to the ALDS.
Jack Flaherty final line
End 5th: Tigers 1, Guardians 1
Flaherty gave the Tigers exactly what was asked for, allowing one run and three hits over 4⅔ innings. But he couldn’t finish the fifth, allowing a two-out walk to C.J. Kayfus before exiting.
Flaherty’s final line: 4⅔ IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BBs, 4 Ks. Kyle Finnegan replaced Flaherty and got Brayan Rocchio to ground out to first baseman Spencer Torkelson to end the inning.
José Ramírez ties game with RBI single
End 4th: Tigers 1, Guardians 1
Right fielder George Valera got the first extra-base hit for the Guardians with a sharp double into right field to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. José Ramírez then tied the game with a 3-2 single that scored Valera from first base.
Ramírez then tried to steal second base, but a strike from catcher Dillon Dingler and a quick tag from shortstop Javier Báez caught Ramírez stealing for the first out of the inning. Flaherty then walked designated hitter Kyle Manzardo with two outs, but forced a double play from center fielder Chase DeLauter to hold the Guardians to one run in the inning. Tie ballgame.
Javier Báez, Parker Meadows strand two runners on base
Middle 4th: Tigers 1, Guardians 0
Left fielder Riley Greene smacked a leadoff single to the opposite field to start the fourth inning, marking his third hit of the series. After a Dillon Dingler strikeout, Zach McKinstry worked a one-out walk and Javier Báez struck out swinging.
Center fielder Parker Meadows couldn’t find a two-out RBI, flying out to left field to end the inning scoreless.
Jack Flaherty allows hard contact, avoids danger
End 3rd: Tigers 1, Guardians 0
Flaherty allowed hard-hit balls off the bats of C.J. Kayfus and Brayan Rocchio, the Kayfus line drive landing in the glove of shortstop Javier Báez and Rocchio’s two hard line drives both landing foul. But Flaherty escaped without allowing a baserunner and has pitched efficiently (42 pitches, one hit, no runs) through three innings.
Kerry Carpenter drives in first Tigers run on double
Middle 3rd: Tigers 1, Guardians 0
Designated hitter Kerry Carpenter squeaked a base hit inside the first base line and ended up on second base, in what the scorekeeper ruled a double but what could have easily been called an error.
Parker Meadows scored on the play, with Gleyber Torres and Carpenter ending up in scoring position.
Wenceel Pérez popped up on the infield for the second out, failing to bring the run home, and Spener Torkelson struck out swinging to strand two runners.
Back-to-back hits have Tigers threatening
Top 3rd: Tigers 0, Guardians 0
Center fielder Parker Meadows, dropped down from the leadoff spot to the No. 9 spot in the order, recorded the Tigers first hit on a one-out single in the third inning. Second baseman Gleyber Torres immeidately got the second with a soft ground ball through the right side of the infield, allowing Meadows to go from first to third.
Left-handed reliever Tim Herrin is coming into the game for starter Slade Cecconi, who pitched 2⅓ innings in his first playoff start.
Chase DeLauter gets first MLB hit
End 2nd: Tigers 0, Guardians 0
Guardians center fielder Chase DeLauter, who made his MLB debut in yesterday’s Game 2, got his first MLB hit off Flaherty in the second inning on a one-out single.
Flaherty then struck out shortstop Gabriel Arias and got catcher Bo Naylor to pop out to end the inning. We’re still scoreless in Cleveland.
Jack Flaherty works quick first inning
End 1st: Tigers 0, Guardians 0
Flaherty pitched a 1-2-3 first inning that included a strikeout of José Ramírez after going down 3-0. At just 14 pitches, Flaherty kept it efficient against the top of the Guardians lineup, by far the most dangerous part of Cleveland’s office.
Slade Cecconi with 26-pitch first inning
Middle 1st: Tigers 0, Guardians 0
The Tigers didn’t score in the first inning, but they did make Cecconi work for his outs.
Leadoff hitter Gleyber Torres worked a 3-2 count on the first at-bat of the game, hitting a hard line drive to left field on Cecconi’s seventh pitch of the at-bat. But Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan descended on the drive and squeezed it for the first out of the game.
Designated hitter Kerry Carpenter worked a one-out walk, also getting Cecconi to throw seven pitches in his plate appearance, but Wenceel Pérez (newly in the No. 3 spot) struck out on a well-placed slide in the next at-bat. First baseman Spencer Torkelson struck out looking to end the inning on a pitch that looked firmly outside the strike zone.
Detroit Pistons showing Tigers love
The Detroit Pistons posted photos on social media with forward Tobias Harris and wing Ausar Thompson dressed in Tigers’ gear while practicing.
Tigers record in win-or-go-home games
The Tigers have played 10 win-or-go-home games in franchise history, with both teams facing elimination with a loss. How have they’ve done?
Just average, quite literally. They are 5-5 overall, last playing one in the 2024 ALDS against the Guardians (which they lost, if you needed a reminder).
Before that? A 6-0 win over the Oakland Athletics in Game 5 of the 2013 ALDS. The Tigers will break either above or below .500 in sudden-death games after today.
Game 1 winners have won 19 of 21 wild-card series
Recent history is on Detroit’s side today.
After the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 in Game 2 of their wild-card series on Wednesday, the series record of teams who won the first game of a wild-card series (since the current MLB playoff format began in 2021) is 19-2. That includes teams who have won Game 1 on the road, whose record is 11-2 in such series.
If the Tigers lose today, they would become only the third team to win the first game of a wild-card series and end up losing the series.
Game 3 moved from ESPN to ABC
As a reminder, because of the results of last night’s wild-card games, Game 3 between the Tigers and the Guardians will take place a 3:08 p.m. ET on ABC, not 1:08 p.m. ET on ESPN as originally listed.
If you’re looking for score updates and surprised not to see any, this is why.
Tarik Skubal not available to pitch in Game 3
If you’re wondering whether Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is available on short rest to pitch today in Game 3 after his 14-strikeout gem in Game 1, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has your answer: No.
Both Skubal and Mize will be unavailable, though every other pitcher on the team’s playoff roster will be available to pitch.
Slade Cecconi vs Tigers in 2025
Guardians Game 3 starter Slade Cecconi made two starts against the Tigers in the 2025 regular season and pitched effectively, with a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings pitched and a 1-1 record. However, he has not faced the Tigers since a July 4 loss in Cleveland.
Here’s how today’s Tigers lineup has done against Cecconi this season.
- 2B Gleyber Torres: 0-for-5.
- DH Kerry Carpenter: 1-for-2, 2B, BB.
- RF Wenceel Pérez: 1-for-3, HR.
- 1B Spencer Torkelson: 2-for-6, HR.
- LF Riley Greene: 0-for-2, BB.
- C Dillon Dingler: 2-for-5.
- 3B Zach McKinstry: 1-for-3, HR.
- SS Javier Báez: 0-for-2.
- CF Parker Meadows: 1-for-3.
Jack Flaherty vs Guardians in 2025
Tigers Game 3 starter Jack Flaherty made three starts against the Guardians in the 2025 regular season and pitched pretty well, with a 3.94 ERA over 16 innings pitched. He lost all three games, however, getting only one run of combined support in all three starts.
Here’s how today’s Guardians lineup has done against Flaherty this season.
- LF Steven Kwan: 1-for-7, BB.
- RF George Valera: 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBIs.
- 3B José Ramírez: 2-for-7, 2B, BB.
- DH Kyle Manzardo: 1-for-7, 4 Ks.
- CF Chase DeLauter: not faced.
- SS Gabriel Arias: 0-for-4, 2 Ks.
- C Bo Naylor: 0-for-6, 2 Ks.
- 1B C.J. Kayfus: 1-for-3, BB.
- 2B Brayan Rocchio: 2-for-3, 2B, BB.
Guardians lineup vs Tigers, Game 3
The Guardians have shaken up the middle of their lineup a little bit, but are going with the same guys that helped get a Game 2 victory on Wednesday.
Tigers lineup vs Guardians, Game 3
The Tigers have released their lineup for their must-win Game 3 showdown, and it includes some changes throughout.
Notably, center fielder Parker Meadows has moved from the leadoff position to the No. 9 position in the order, with second baseman Gleyber Torres moving to the leadoff spot, Kerry Carpenter moving to the No. 2 spot and right fielder Wenceel Pérez moving to the No. 3 spot.
Calm in the Tigers clubhouse
Per our Jeff Seidel, there didn’t seem to be much panic in Detroit’s clubhouse followin the team’s Game 2 loss on Wednesday.
Many key players, including Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Dillon Dingler, pointed to the simplicity of today’s assignment: just show up and win.
That might be easier said than done on the road against a team that has won six of eight games agaisnt the Tigers since the beginning of December. But if Detroit can make it six of nine with a win today, that’s all it will take for the Tigers to knock the Guardians out of the playoffs.
A.J. Hinch’s big decisions from Game 2
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made an unusual move in the seventh inning of his team’s Game 2 loss on Wednesday: pinch-hitting for lefty slugger Riley Greene with one out and runners on the corners and left-handed ptcher Tim Herrin on the mound.
It ended up not working out, with pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones striking out to end the inning. But it’s a decision Greene said he had full trust in, calling Jones a “lefty killer.”
As for Hinch’s decision to go with Troy Melton in the eighth inning, that one backfired even more, with Melton giving up the go-ahead home run to Brayan Rocchio to start a five-run inning for the Guardians.
What time is Tigers vs Guardians Game 3 today?
The Tigers will continue their best-of-three wild-card series against the Guardians on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 3:08 p.m. ET.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 2.
Time: 3:08 p.m. ET.
Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland.
What channel is Tigers vs Guardians game today?
Game 3 of the Tigers-Guardians wild-card series will air on ABC in the early slot of the day’s playoff action.
First pitch: 3:08 p.m. ET.
Channel: ABC.
Streaming: Fubo.
Radio: WXYT-FM, 97.1.
Wednesday’s game can also be streamed on Fubo, which carries ABC and the ESPN platform of channels.
Watch MLB playoffs on Fubo
Tigers vs Guardians playoff series 2025
Tigers vs Guardians betting odds for Game 2
Cleveland is a small favorite in Game 3.
Over/under: 7½ runs.
Moneyline: Tigers (+105), Guardians (-125).
All odds are courtesy of BetMGM as of Wednesday evening.
MLB wild-card series schedule 2025
Thursday’s game schedule
AL: Tigers at Guardians, 3:08 p.m. ET (ABC).
NL: San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs, 5:08 p.m. ET (ESPN).
AL: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, 8:08 p.m. ET (ESPN).
Tigers vs Guardians playoff history
The Tigers and Guardians did not meet in the MLB playoffs in the first 123 years of their shared history as charter members of the American League.
The clubs will now meet for the second consecutive season in the playoffs.
Here are the results from the Tigers-Guardians playoff series in the 2024 ALDS:
- Game 1, Oct. 5: Guardians, 7, Tigers 0 in Cleveland.
- Game 2, Oct. 7: Tigers 3, Guardians 0 in Cleveland.
- Game 3, Oct. 9: Tigers 3, Guardians 0 in Detroit.
- Game 4, Oct. 10: Guardians 5, Tigers 4 in Detroit.
- Game 5, Oct. 12: Guardians 7, Tigers 3 in Cleveland.
You can reach Christian Romo at cromo@freepress.com.