Skubal’s career-high 14 Ks lead Tigers past Guardians in Game 1 of AL Wild Card Series

CLEVELAND (AP) – Tarik Skubal tied Detroit’s postseason record with 14 strikeouts and the Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 on Tuesday in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series.

Will Vest got the final four outs for Detroit, surviving a tense ninth inning after Cleveland star Jose Ramírez got hung up between third base and home for the second out.

The Tigers can advance to the AL Division Series for the second straight year with a win Wednesday.

Detroit scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning when Zach McKinstry’s safety squeeze scored Riley Greene from third.

Ramírez led off the ninth with an infield single and advanced to third when shortstop Javier Báez threw wide of first base. Vest struck out pinch-hitter George Valera, then Kyle Manzardo hit a grounder to Vest. Ramírez broke for home but was cut off by Vest, who chased him down and tagged him out. C.J. Kayfus then hit a flyout to Báez in shallow left.

Skubal, who is favored to win his second straight AL Cy Young Award, tied a career high for strikeouts. He was dominant and unfazed as he pitched on the same mound where one week ago, he threw a 99 mph fastball that struck Cleveland designated hitter David Fry in the nose and face during the sixth inning.

CUBS 3, PADRES 1

CHICAGO (AP) – Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly hit back-to-back homers, helping Chicago beat San Diego in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series.

Chicago also got a perfect performance from its bullpen in the franchise’s first playoff win since the 2017 National League Championship Series. The Cubs were swept by Miami in the wild-card round in 2020 during their last postseason appearance.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series is back at Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon.

Suzuki opened the fifth inning with a 424-foot drive to left-center off Nick Pivetta, tying it at 1 and sending a charge through a towel-waving crowd of 39,114 on a picturesque afternoon. Pivetta had retired 11 in a row before Suzuki extended his homer streak to five games going back to the regular season.

Kelly followed with a towering shot that drifted just over the wall in left-center. The catcher and Chicago native held his right arm in the air as he rounded first base.

It was the MLB postseason debut for both Suzuki and Kelly, who combined for the franchise’s first set of back-to-back homers in the playoffs since Miguel Montero and Dexter Fowler went deep on Oct. 15, 2016, against the Dodgers.

RED SOX 3, YANKEES 1

NEW YORK (AP) – Garrett Crochet retired 17 consecutive batters after allowing Anthony Volpe’s second-inning homer, pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida lined a go-ahead, two-run single off reliever Luke Weaver, and Boston beat New York in their AL Wild Card Series opener.

Crochet improved to 4-0 against the Yankees this year, throwing a career-high 117 pitches in a marquee duel of ace left-handers against Max Fried. Crochet struck out 11 and walked none over 7 2/3 innings while allowing four hits.

Pitching with a lead after Yoshida’s go-ahead hit in the seventh, Crochet extended his streak of retired batters until Volpe singled with one out in the eighth. Crochet’s final pitch was his fastest at 100.2 mph, which Austin Wells took for a called third strike.

Ex-Yankee Aroldis Chapman retired José Caballero on a flyout to finish the eighth, and Alex Bregman, playing his 100th postseason game, hit an RBI double in the ninth off David Bednar.

Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger loaded the bases with consecutive singles starting the bottom half, but Chapman recovered to get the save when he struck out Giancarlo Stanton, retired Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a flyout and fanned Trent Grisham.

Boston improved to 13-12 against the rival Yankees in the postseason, winning nine of the last 10 meetings.

DODGERS 10, REDS 5

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández hit two home runs apiece, Blake Snell struck out nine over seven strong innings and Los Angeles beat Cincinnati in their NL Wild Card Series opener.

Tommy Edman also went deep for the Dodgers, who tied a franchise postseason record with five homers and pounded out 15 hits as they opened their bid to become the first back-to-back World Series winners in 25 years.

Ohtani, who had a career-high 55 homers in the regular season, homered leading off the first. His 117.7 mph drive off a 100.4 mph fastball from Reds ace Hunter Greene was the fastest pitch Ohtani has homered on in his major league career.

The two-way superstar from Japan added a two-run, 454-foot shot off Connor Phillips with two outs in the sixth. Ohtani also struck out three times.

Snell’s only hit allowed through six innings was Matt McClain’s double down the third base line that eluded a diving Max Muncy with two outs in the third. The Reds scored two runs in the seventh on Elly De La Cruz’s groundout and Tyler Stephenson’s double.

Snell retired his initial eight batters in his first postseason start since 2022, when the two-time Cy Young Award winner was with the San Diego Padres.

The cheers turned to boos for the Dodgers’ bullpen in the eighth when Cincinnati batted around. Los Angeles relievers Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer combined to issue four walks as the Reds scored three runs and pulled to 10-5. The trio needed 59 pitches to get three outs.