Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 1 Recap: Gritty Tigs Return to Win Extra Innings Battle

The early going of the Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 1 resembled a repeat of Game 2 of the Wild Card, rather than the explosion in the decisive Game 3. They began 0-6 with runners in scoring position, with four runners left on base, and six strikeouts. The feeling of not being able to get the big hit started to creep in. Was this going to be the same old story? Not quite. Two moments defined this game for the Tigers.

The Tigers managed to get big hits from Kerry Carpenter and Zach McKinstry. This game slowly became a pitching duel as well as a managerial duel between A.J. Hinch and Dan Wilson. Wilson made the first mistake, and Hinch made the second. This game came down to who would blink first. It took extra innings to find out which team would do so. The Mariners blinked first with an eleventh-inning walk, followed by a go-ahead run batted in by McKinstry.

"Kerry Carpenter 25" by Scott Hards is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 1: Recap

The Seattle Mariners' starting pitcher, George Kirby, had struck out eight Tigers before he faced Kerry Carpenter with Parker Meadows on second. Carpenter hit a two-run home run to improve to 5-11 against Kirby (five home runs). The Tigers' bats made no noise for a while, going hitless in the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th before a single in the eleventh from McKinstry drove in a run. The Tigers did strike out 16 times and went 2-11 with RISP and left eight on base.

On the pitching side, rookie Troy Melton started the game with four solid innings. He became the first Tigers rookie pitcher to start a playoff game since Justin Verlander in 2006. He had a bit of trouble in the first, but followed it up with retiring seven straight before giving up a solo home run to Julio Rodriguez. Brant Hurter came in to retire the fifth: three up, three down.

Rafael Montero came up next and gave up the lead, with a walk and back-to-back singles. Hinch then turned to Tyler Holton. Holton got Josh Naylor to hit into a double play with the help of an excellent play from Javier Baez, who has been an x-factor in the postseason for the Tigers. Holton held the tie with a fly ball. Tommy Kahnle followed that up with a three-up and three-down of his own. Kyle Finnegan followed that up with a scoreless eighth. Will Vest pitched a scoreless ninth and tenth. Keider Montero, who many thought of as a possible choice to start this game, got the chance for the save in the eleventh and completed the Tigers' win.

Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 1: Kerry Carpenter Breaks Through

Kerry Carpenter has been the Tigers' best postseason hitter for the last two seasons. After his heroics in Cleveland last year's ALDS, Carpenter got the big hit for the Tigers this year, too. Carpenter is now hitting .357 with a 1.143 OPS in the 2025 postseason. He struggled in September, as many of the Tigers did. He hit .215 with some power (four home runs). His postseason heater has helped the Tigers thus far. They'll need him to continue to hit if they hope to do any more damage in the postseason.

The go-ahead run came from McKinstry in the eleventh. McKinstry had a rough stretch to end the season that stretched into the Wild Card series. He hit .241 in September, followed by a 0-17 stretch in the postseason. The Tigers' All-Star utility man got the hit when it mattered the most. He does whatever this Tigers team needs. Field, bunt, and whatever else Hinch asks him for.

Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 1: Pitching Chaos

The Tigers only carried three pitchers on their postseason roster: Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, and Jack Flaherty. This choice meant that ALDS Game 1 would require A.J. Hinch to use his patented pitching chaos. Troy Melton and Brant Hurter got the Tigers through five innings with a 2-1 lead before Rafael Montero gave up a run after allowing three straight base runners. Melton and Hurter had much stronger performances after their Wild Card struggles, in which they allowed a competitive game to turn into a blowout late in the game. This portion of the Tigers' bullpen is its weakest. They've struggled to help the Tigers get to the late innings.

The Tigers' late innings group has been excellent. Tyler Holton did excellent work to get them out of a jam. Tommy Kahnle, who struggled in the second half of the season (7.90 ERA in last 32 outings), came in and got three outs in the seventh.

Kyle Finnegan, the Tigers' deadline addition, pitched a scoreless eighth that included the top of the Mariners lineup. He allowed a hit to Raleigh and nothing else. Finnegan has yet to allow a run in his three playoff appearances. In his 18 innings of work in the regular season, he only allowed three earned runs. Will Vest, who came in with two postseason saves from the Wild Card series, pitched the ninth and tenth without allowing a run. Vest struggled to finish the season as well, with some questions about his velocity. Vest has been lights out in the postseason. Keider Montero pitched the eleventh, facing the middle of the lineup, allowing one hit before he closed the door on the Mariners.

The Tigers gave up hits to only two Mariners through 8 innings, three to Raleigh and two to Rodriguez (two RBIs). They only walked two through that point as well. Rodriguez got a third hit in the eleventh to round out the Mariners' hit total (6).

Of course, the Tigers do not have the bullpen depth to make too many mistakes or overuse their bullpen in the postseason. Luckily, the next four games should feature their traditional starters on the mound (Skubal twice).

Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 1 Verdict

The Tigers started this best-of-five ALDS with an extra-innings victory. Say what you want about the Tigers' struggles to score, but they managed to find a way with a two-run blast from Carpenter, a big hit from McKinstry, and an unbelievable job from the Tigers' bullpen. A.J. Hinch perhaps had his best performance as the Tigers manager. He made only one mistake in the whole game, and arguably, it was the right choice to send R. Montero out with the lead.

Regardless, the Tigers will need Tarik Skubal to deliver some more postseason magic for Detroit. With a chance to go up 2-0 in the series when they head to Detroit, the Tigers have to feel confident in this series. After all of the September woes and the media and fans spiraling, the Tigers are up 1-0 with an advantageous position as Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal takes the mound for Game 2.

(All stats provided by Baseball Reference)

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