The Detroit Tigers did the unthinkable down the stretch, as they gave up their division lead to the Cleveland Guardians to end the regular season. However, the Tigers got the last laugh on Thursday, as they defeated the Guardians 6-3 in Game 3 to advance to the ALDS.
For this Tigers’ squad, this will be their second year going to the ALDS. Detroit hopes that this year’s trip will be much better than last year's. It wasn’t an easy series as the Tigers knew that the Guardians had their number.
But thanks to some clutch hitting in Games 1 and 3, plus the performance of Detroit’s bullpen in Game 3, the Tigers will keep their season going. One of the players who played a key role in the Tigers' advancing to the ALDS was veteran infielder Javier Baez.
Javier Baez Shines at the Plate in Wild Card Series After Quiet September
The 32-year-old Baez, who was named to the MLB All-Star Game for only the third time in his career, was struggling in September. The veteran infielder/outfielder was hitting a mediocre .209 with a triple, a home run, and six RBI in the final month of the regular season.
It was a far cry from what the veteran slugger did in August (.257/.628 OPS) and the first half of the 2025 campaign (.275/.752 OPS). That said, the Tigers knew that to advance to the next round, they’d have to get contributions from the bottom of their lineup.
Thankfully, for Detroit, Baez answered the call. In Game 1, the veteran infielder went 2-for-3 at the plate as the three other hitters above him went a combined 0-for-10 with a strikeout.
Even though the Tigers couldn’t do anything with Baez on base on Tuesday, the fact that he was able to turn over the lineup just puts more pressure on the opposition. In Game 2, Baez produced another 2-hit game and had an RBI (the only run scored in the game).
The last time Baez had back-to-back two-hit games was on September 25th and 26th against the Guardians and Boston Red Sox.
Then, in today’s series clinching win, Baez, from the eight-hole, went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout. Given how Baez finished the month of September, you have to be happy with what he showed in the three-game playoff series against the Guardians.
For Detroit to take down the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS, they’ll need Baez and the rest of the bottom of the batting order to produce, as they can’t simply depend on Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter to carry them.
Seattle has better starting pitching than the Guardians, so it will be imperative that everyone from 1 through 9 does their part.