Forget everything else, if you can. Forget about the Detroit Tigers' ongoing historic collapse, turning a double-digit lead in the division into a measly one game. Forget about the Cleveland Guardians' crazy surge to make it a race. Just take the moment on its own: sixth inning, leading 2-0, and Tarik Skubal, the American League's best pitcher and red-hot on the night, on the mound and feeling confident. Pretty good place for the Tigers to be, right? Well.
It was, perhaps, not actually possible to forget about all that other stuff. The Guardians did what the Guardians do: play small ball, both on purpose (because these guys love being annoying) and by accident (because basically nobody on this team can hit like a grown-up). In the sixth inning of what would end a 5-2 Cleveland win that leapfrogged them over Detroit for the division, the Guardians put together five pop-gun plate appearances in which they failed to get the ball out of the infield. No matter. It totally unraveled Skubal and the Tigers.
Steven Kwan, a less effective pest than in years past but still a pest, led off with a bunt single. Angel Martinez laid down another bunt, and Skubal somewhat inexplicably tried to hike the ball through his legs to first, but ended up sailing it over Spencer Torkelson's head. “He chose to do the emergency flip," Tigers manager AJ Hinch said, "which is not something that is easy to do, and it obviously didn't produce a good play." Obviously.
A Jose Ramirez swinging bunt went for another infield single. Then David Fry bunted the ball off his own face. It was a scary moment, but also possibly the requisite blood sacrifice that gives the Guardians their dark powers. Somewhere in there—either the throwing error, or Ramirez reaching despite a bad swing, or Fry's injury; all are valid reasons to crash out—Skubal lost his composure. His first pitch to Fry's replacement skipped in the dirt for a wild pitch that tied the game. After a strikeout, Skubal balked, putting on third a runner who would score on a slow groundout. 3-2, Guardians, and they wouldn't relinquish it.
“That whole inning was the things that we talk about, we preach, we work on,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “The guys executed outstanding.”
It's maddening to play against; I'd rather my team be felled by mighty dongers, as it feels more legitimate. But this required the Tigers to beat themselves. A throwing error, a balk, and a wild pitch were free bases given to a team rabid to take them. That's still Guardianball: They thrive by forcing fielders to make plays under pressure. When defenses take care of business, it looks like an anemic, low-OPS offense. But it works just often enough to produce the current AL Central leaders.
Cleveland's dominating the other side of the ledger, too. They struck out 19 Tigers in this game, 12 of those courtesy of starter Gavin Williams, and the bullpen hurled another three scoreless innings. Guardian relievers have shut out Detroit over their last 10 innings, dating back to last week; Tigers relievers have allowed 10 runs to the Guardians in that same span. Anything that could possibly go Cleveland's way, has.
These teams have two more games left against each other. The division is up for grabs. Right now, the Guardians look like the only ones capable of making the catch.
