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Tigers’ Zach McKinstry’s 11th-inning heroics lift Detroit to win vs. Mariners
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- Tigers’ Zach McKinstry’s 11th-inning heroics lift Detroit to win vs. Mariners
The post Tigers' Zach McKinstry's 11th-inning heroics lift Detroit to win vs. Mariners appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Detroit Tigers kept their eyes on the prize, surviving a 3-2 extra-innings battle with the Seattle Mariners in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday. They are now just one win away from their first ALCS appearance in 12 years. The game remained deadlocked at 2-2 through nine innings, with both bullpens holding strong before Detroit finally broke through in the 11th.
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Rookie starter Troy Melton had a strong postseason debut for the Tigers, rebounding after being out of his depth against the Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card Series. Melton worked four innings, allowing two hits and one run on a solo home run by Julio Rodríguez while striking out four. His performance helped limit early damage and gave the Detroit bullpen a manageable workload after the previous series' heavy usage.
The scoring began in the top of the fifth. Parker Meadows singled, putting a runner on for Kerry Carpenter , who came into the game hitting 4-for-8 with four home runs against Mariners starter George Kirby . Carpenter crushed a 0-2 pitch over the right-field bleachers, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead. The Mariners responded in the bottom of the sixth when Julio Rodriguez drove in a run with an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2, the first time Seattle had sent a runner home in the postseason since Game 2 of the 2001 ALCS.
Extra innings saw tense pitching duels. In the 10th, Mariners' Andres Munoz struck out back-to-back batters and recorded a lineout, while Tigers' Will Vest mirrored the effort with a grounder, a pop out, and a strikeout.
In the 11th, Spencer Torkelson led off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch by new Mariners reliever Carlos Vargas . After two strikeouts, Tigers utilityman Zach McKinstry , who had gone 0-for-17 in the postseason prior to this at-bat, wrought a clutch RBI single to center, driving Torkelson home for the go-ahead run. Detroit closer Keider Montero retired Randy Arozarena , Cal Raleigh , and Josh Naylor in order to close out the win.
McKinstry has put together a career year for Motor City's Tigers. He was selected in the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers and worked his way through their system before stints with the Cubs and Tigers. In 2025, the 30-year-old made the All-Star team as a replacement for the injured Jeremy Peaa and posted career highs in batting average (.259), OPS (.771), doubles (23), triples (11), home runs (12), RBI (49), and stolen bases (19).
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The Tigers will hand the ball to ace Tarik Skubal , who will start Game 2 against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo at 8:03 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Related: Tigers' Kerry Carpenter sets stage for Tarik Skubal after 'huge' Game 1 win over Mariners
Related: Tigers' X-Factor that will determine series vs. Mariners
