Extra innings lift Guardians over Tigers, keep playoff hunt alive

Sitting multiple games out of a playoff spot in mid-September, every high and low gets amplified. As the Cleveland Guardians led 3-2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, that statement never felt more true. In eerily similar fashion to last year’s ALDS, the Detroit Tigers rose from the ashes via a Kerry Carpenter home run. As Angel Martinez ran out of room in center field at Comerica Park, it felt like the Guardians ran out of room on their season. The Guards unloaded for four runs in extra innings en route to a 7-5 win that made this team’s playoff chances feel even more real.

Cleveland enters Wednesday 2.5 games behind Boston for the final Wild Card spot. 

C.J. Kayfus drew first blood in the second inning when he singled in Nolan Jones, who doubled off of Casey Mize. Steven Kwan and Gabriel Arias combined on a relay in the bottom half on the second that kept the score at 1-0 for Joey Cantillo. Cantillo produced another excellent start, going five innings, allowing just one earned run and five baserunners.

Cantillo’s lone mistake came in the third inning, when he threw a 3-0 “get-me-over” fastball to Gleyber Torres who mistook the pitch for a Home Run Derby competition. MLB Stats pulled that this was only Torres’ second career home run in a 3-0 count. 

The Guardians regained the lead in the top of the fourth inning when Gabriel Arias crushed a high fastball for his fifth opposite field home run of the season. Bo Naylor extended the lead for Cantillo on an RBI double returning Jose Ramirez. Riley Greene cut the Tigers deficit in half, moving runners station to station on Matt Festa. Cleveland entered the bottom of the ninth up 3-2.