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    Chris Castellani
    Oct 5, 2025, 05:17
    Updated at: Oct 5, 2025, 05:17

    It might be happening, folks. The Gritty Tigs might be back. In a ballgame that featured tension that you could only find in a Hollywood thriller, Detroit found a way to grind out an extra-innings classic against the Seattle Mariners to begin the ALDS. Two days ago, this team was facing a long offseason in the face following an epic September collapse. Now? Put the word out there, because the Tigers might be good again.

    You have to give all the credit in the world to this Detroit pitching staff. They did not blink one time. As frustrated as we’ve been with the offense over the last month of the season, there have been many times throughout the campaign in which Detroit is pitching, whether it be their starters or their reliever, that have allowed games to get out of hand early. That was the concern with Jack Flaherty going into game three against Cleveland. That was the concern with Troy Melton tonight, and thankfully, they delivered. That’s a gutsy outing from the rookie. I don’t know what the plan entirely was. I don’t know if AJ had any desire for him to go more than four, but to be able to get four solid frames from Troy Melton and be able to turn it over to Brant Heurter, who pitched a breezy inning against the lefties, was perfect.

    Look, there’s so much focus right now on Detroit‘s inability to hit with runners and in scoring position. I totally understand that. I’ve been having fits about it for several weeks. At the same time, you’re going to play close games in October. You’re going to have opportunities, and very often you’re going to be thwarted. Every team that’s here in the postseason right now has pitchers who can shut down lineups. It’s not about making the most of every opportunity; it’s about making the most out of more opportunities than you’re opposing team, and that’s what Detroit did tonight. That Kerry Carpenter home run off George Kirby in the fifth felt like a huge moment from a momentum standpoint. Not only did it silence the crowd at T-Mobile Park, but it was the first time in seemingly weeks that we’ve seen Detroit hit a clutch home run with a runner in scoring position.

    I don’t want to get too far ahead here. You have to take all of this one day at a time. I know that I’m spouting a lot of clichés, but they're clichés for a reason. At the same time, Detroit won a game tonight that many people did not think they would win. At the very least, we’re going to get two ALDS games at Comerica Park in this series. But tomorrow you have the best pitcher in the world on the mound with an opportunity to maybe not land a knockout punch, but definitely land a solid upper cut. You pulled it out tomorrow, and Seattle is all of a sudden seeing stars. This team appears to be back to playing their scrappy best, but do they have that killer instinct again? We’ll find out soon.