Detroit Tigers Wild Card Game 1 Recap: Tarik Skubal's Historic Performance

Despite the historic collapse to end the Detroit Tigers season, they managed to win Game 1 of the Wild Card, outdueling Gavin Williams. Skubal threw 7.2 innings and struck out 14. Williams threw 6.0 innings with 8 Ks. The Tigers managed to score in the first inning on a Spencer Torkelson single. The Guardians tied it up in the 4th inning on a chopper that got over Skubal's head. The Tigers managed to manufacture another run in the 7th inning on a Zach McKinstry single. This is playoff baseball. It's stressful. Every pitch holds a lot of weight. When all is said and done, the Tigers are up 1-0.

This series was always going to be a dog fight. Most games between Cleveland and Detroit look like this one—low scoring. Good pitching. A.J. Hinch and the Tigers changed up the philosophy today by bunting. It came up big, helping the Tigers win this game.

"Tarik Skubal (53947681013) (cropped)" by Jeffrey Hyde from Bryan, TX, United States is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Playing Small Ball

The Detroit Tigers became known for how they ran the bases in 2025. In the first inning, Kerry Carpenter hit a single and got to second base on a fielding error. Torkelson singled in the run. That's ideal Tigers baseball. Taking the extra base. Making things happen. In the 7th inning, the Tigers had two on, and McKinstry hit the safety squeeze to score Riley Greene.

The Tigers had few baserunners today (five hits and two walks). They did have two on with no outs twice, but didn't really capitalize on either opportunity. At this point in the season, winning is all that matters. They lost these kinds of games throughout September. They now have back-to-back wins in Cleveland.

Tarik Skubal Wins a Pitching Duel

Tarik Skubal, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, may have just pitched the best game of his career. He threw 7.2 innings, allowing one run, three hits, and two walks. He also had 14 strikeouts, tying the Tigers postseason record (Joe Coleman, 1982). Skubal's speed was up early. He was clearly amped, throwing a triple-digit fastball and a slider around 91. His changeup reached 91 as well. Starting in the 7th into the 8th, Skubal had five straight strikeouts.

Gavin Williams pitched well, and if it hadn't been for an all-time performance from Skubal, his continued dominance of the Tigers' hitters would have been the storyline. Including today, Williams threw 23 innings against the Tigers, giving up only two earned runs. However, the Tigers did manage to get him out of the game in the 6th inning. He played well enough to win. The Tigers capitalized on some errors by the Guardians.

Will Vest

Will Vest is one of many Tigers who received a fair amount of criticism in the last month of the season. He managed to get a four-out save, despite an error on Javier Baez on a throw to Torkelson following an outstanding play from Javier Baez. The throw wasn't ideal, but Torkelson has to come up with it. Ramirez got to third on the error. Vest struck out the next batter. Then, some soft contact allowed Vest to tag out Ramirez, trying to reach home. Vest finished it up after that. Ultimately, there isn't much more the Tigers could have hoped for.

Detroit Tigers Wild Card Game 1 Verdict and Game 2 Outlook

The Tigers managed to find a way to win without an earned run. They have Skubal and Vest to thank for that. They put themselves in a tough situation in this game and eked out the victory in a similar fashion to how the team made it into the postseason.

The Tigers will likely need a little more production from their offense tomorrow as Casey Mize takes the bump. He is an x-factor for the Tigers' postseason hopes. Mize has pitched well against the Guardians this season. In three games, he has pitched 17.1 innings and allowed four earned runs with 18 strikeouts. Tanner Bibee threw 19 innings against the Tigers, allowing only two earned runs with 21 strikeouts.

Expect another close game with a low score. These teams are evenly matched. The Tigers managed to limit themselves to only two pitchers today. That could help out tomorrow, with a few strong arms, including Rafael Montero and Troy Melton, well rested and ready to go. Javier Baez is another player to watch. He has eight hits in his last 18 at-bats. Additionally, he had multiple great plays at shortstop. Even if his throw in the 9th was a bit off, he made an incredible play to keep it in the infield.

(All stats provided by Baseball Reference and StatMuse)

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