Resurrected from a six-inning no-hitter, Detroit’s resilient young core overcame a late-game collapse to ignite a stunning ninth-inning rally, keeping their slim postseason ambitions miraculously alive.
What a ride.
The day began with a lingering sense of hope surrounding the Detroit Tigers. If they were going to keep their playoff dreams alive, the path was clear: Detroit likely needed to win around 85% of its final 13 games to remain relevant in the race.
Then came a massive opportunity.
The Tigers faced a team sitting just one game behind the final playoff spot, and they did it on the road. But for six innings, Detroit's postseason hopes appeared to be fading fast.
Then the Tigers came back to life.
And then everything went crazy.
In one of the wildest games of the season, Detroit went from being no-hit and trailing by two runs to taking the lead, blowing that lead, tying the game again and finally pulling ahead in the ninth before slamming the door shut.
When the dust settled, the Tigers had escaped with a thrilling 6-5 victory and moved to within just 4.5 games of the final playoff spot with 12 games remaining. Detroit also has a game in hand on Cleveland.
If this playoff chase was a painting, Sunday night was Detroit's Van Gogh masterpiece. For the first six innings, there wasn't much to look at. But just when the Tigers appeared all but dead, the entire picture changed.
Tigers Go From No-Hit to Leading in Eight Minutes
Detroit was held without a hit through six long innings, trailing 2-0 and desperately needing something to change.
Gleyber Torres provided it.
Torres led off the seventh inning with Detroit's first hit of the game, and the Tigers immediately went to work. Torres, Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler delivered three consecutive hits, with Dingler's knock bringing Torres home to cut the deficit in half.
Then Max Clark stepped to the plate and delivered one of the biggest hits of the night.
Clark ripped a beautiful opposite-field double that landed inches from the right-field line, scoring both Greene and Dingler and suddenly giving Detroit a 3-2 lead.
Spencer Torkelson added another run moments later, driving a ball through the third baseman's glove to score Clark.
In the span of roughly eight minutes, Detroit went from trailing 2-0 without a single hit to leading 4-2.
The Tigers had officially come back from the dead.
The Roller Coaster Took Another Massive Drop
Unfortunately for Detroit, the celebration did not last long.
Kyle Finnegan replaced Tyler Holton in the bottom of the seventh and immediately found trouble. He allowed singles to two of the first three hitters before, with two outs, Kazuma Okamoto launched a massive three-run home run.
His 33rd homer of the season flipped the game in an instant.
Just like that, Detroit's 4-2 lead had become a 5-4 deficit.
After such an incredible seventh-inning comeback, it looked like the Tigers were once again going to suffer another crushing late-game collapse.
But this team wasn't finished.
Detroit's Young Talent Delivers Again
The Tigers stormed back in the eighth.
Kevin McGonigle singled, and Riley Greene followed with another base hit a couple of batters later to set the stage for Brett Callahan.
Callahan came through.
The young hitter singled home McGonigle, tying the game at 5-5 and sending Detroit into the ninth inning with its playoff hopes still alive.
Then came one final dramatic sequence.
Zach McKinstry reached base after a bunt attempt resulted in the lead runner being thrown out. But he quickly redeemed himself, swiping his third stolen base of the season after recording 16 or more steals in each of the previous three seasons.
That stolen base became enormous.
Hao-Yu Lee then hit a ball back to the pitcher, but the throw got away. Lee reached safely, and McKinstry raced all the way from second base to score the go-ahead run.
Detroit had its lead back.
6-5.
Kenley Jansen Slams the Door
Then came the final test.
For a Tigers team that has struggled mightily to close out games, the ninth inning had plenty of reason to make fans nervous. Detroit had already surrendered a two-run lead earlier in the game.
But this time, there would be no more drama.
Kenley Jansen retired the side in order, ending the game with a 6-4-3 double play to secure the massive victory.
It was a roller coaster from start to finish. The Tigers were no-hit through six innings, exploded for four runs, immediately blew the lead, fought back to tie the game and then found one final run in the ninth.
But ultimately, Detroit survived.
And with just 12 games remaining, the Tigers are now only 4.5 games out of the final playoff spot.
The odds are still against them. The margin for error is almost nonexistent.
But after a 6-5 masterpiece like this one, the Detroit Tigers are still alive.
And somehow, this roller coaster ride just keeps climbing.
