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The Detroit Tigers use pitching chaos to shut out the Cleveland Guardians

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The Detroit Tigers use pitching chaos to shut out the Cleveland Guardians

Everyone was singing and chanting and waving orange towels.

“Let’s go, Tiger!” shouted the record playoff crowd at Comerica Park. “Let’s go, Tiger!”

Tyler Holton was on the mound. Ninth inning. Opposite Austin Hedges.

Welcome to the first playoff game at Comerica Park in a decade.

And it didn't disappoint.

Holton struck out Hedges. Fireworks went off. Smoke shot into the air. And Paws waved his flag.

What a victory.

What a complete team victory. In a 3-0 victory over Cleveland in Game 3 of the ALDS, the Tigers featured great pitching, some timely hits and great defense as the Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five game.

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The two teams play Game 4 at 6:08 p.m. (TNT) at Comerica Park, and a win would send the Tigers to the ALCS, which begins Monday in either Kansas City, Missouri or New York.

This was the first postseason home game since Oct. 5, 2014 — a 3,657-day wait — and it had a little bit of everything.

The Tigers' hot hitters stayed hot – rookie Parker Meadows got a hit for the fifth straight game, and Jake Rogers came through again, getting another hit and scoring a run.

Cold hitters suddenly found hits – both Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson had big hits, driving in runs.

The Tigers showed impressive defense – Matt Vierling climbed the ranks and made a great defensive play.

And AJ Hinch unleashed his “pitching chaos” by using six pitchers in the shutout.

A team win in every respect.

Pack the park: The Detroit Tigers set the Comerica Park postseason attendance record with 44,855

The defensive gem

Hinch turned to Will Vest at the start of the seventh period.

With two on and two out, Vest faced designated hitter David Fry in a big moment. The tension was building.

And Fry smashed a line drive down the left side of the infield for what looked like a two-run RBI.

But Vierling jumped into the air, reached as high as he could, threw the ball far over his head and came down with his fist: “Yes!”

Oh, that's not enough for you?

What if Parker Meadows flew across the outfield and secured a line drive in the eighth inning?

The arms race

Tigers manager AJ Hinch sparked “pitching chaos” again.

The really amazing part? He started with two newbies.

Keider Montero, who wasn't even on the playoff roster for the AL wild-card series win over Houston, got the start and sailed through the first inning with just six pitches, five of them strikes.

Most importantly, he got José Ramírez to fly out on a pitch.

Then Hinch went one step further. The Guardians had six lefties in their batting order and a few switch hitters. So Hinch brought in Brant Hurter, a left-handed hitter.

Then the game of cat and mouse began – all because of the way Hinch had used his bullpen. Cleveland brought in Jhonkensy Noel as a pinch-hitter in the second inning. But Hurter got the outfielder they call “Big Christmas” to give a gift of his own, a flyout to center.

And Hurter got Bo Naylor to move to third.

Hurter was unlucky in the third inning. Steven Kwan hit a ball up the middle that deflected off Hurter, and Trey Sweeney was unable to play, throwing the ball away and allowing Kwan to advance to second base.

Hinch intentionally tackled Ramírez – for the sixth time this season.

And Hurter got Naylor to finish first.

Cleveland burned another pinch-hitter, Fry, in the third inning, who Hurter struck out.

More importantly, Hinch caused Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to take actions that would weaken him later in the game.

Hurter, who played last year at Double-A Erie, went 3⅓ innings and scattered five hits but held them scoreless. He was replaced by Beau Brieske, who went two innings and recorded five strikeouts and no runs.

When Brieske left, he received a standing ovation.

And he applauded the fans before ducking into the dugout.

And Will Vest was also brilliant, throwing 1⅓ innings of scoreless ball in the seventh and eighth innings.

Hot hitters stay hot

Meadows entered this game with an interesting statistic: He had scored in each of his first four career postseason games, the first Tiger to do so since Don Kelly in 2011.

And then he made it for the fifth straight time, opening the game with a sharp single.

Then Greene threw it in and fired a splitter deep and away through a hole in the infield for an early 1-0 lead.

Another hot hitter? Catcher Jake Rogers, who entered the postseason batting .308. And he continued the heat, leading off the third inning with a double.

After Vogt intentionally tackled Kerry Carpenter (the hero of Game 2), Vierling hit Rogers with a sac fly to left.

Cold hitters contribute to this

The Tigers scored again in the sixth inning when a cold hitter suddenly came through.

Spencer Torkelson opened the postseason 0-14.

But he hit a huge double down the left field line in the sixth inning, bringing in Colt Keith, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

MORE FROM JEFF SEIDEL: The Tigers' Trey Sweeney has been named as a throw-in for the Jack Flaherty trade. Give me a break

Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his latest columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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