Baseball fans have been treated to some incredible baseball as the 2024 MLB playoffs continue. All four division series games have been full of drama and intrigue. Every team has given their all and it's been a blast to experience despite the Braves missing out due to an early exit.
However, there is one team that has captured everyone's attention as the ultimate underdog. The Detroit Tigers shocked the baseball world as they finished third in the AL Central and beat the mighty Houston Astros in the Wild Card.
They are locked in a tough series with the Cleveland Guardians who excelled with 92 wins in 2024 under the leadership of former Brave, Stephen Vogt. Cleveland had the best bullpen in baseball with a 2.57 ERA. The standout of that group is closer Emmanuel Clase who boasted a 0.61 ERA this season with 10 walks and 66 strikeouts through 74.1 innings.
Detroit certainly had their hands full offensively because of those numbers. And the Tigers were one of the worst offenses in baseball as they finished 24th with a .234 team average. The series' first game was a disaster as Cleveland won 7-0.
Kerry Carpenter's clutch ALDS HR off Emmanuel Clase has surprising Braves connection
Monday's game was a different story as AL MVP favorite Tarik Skubal took the mound. Skubal tossed seven scoreless innings with eight punchouts. He was absolutely sensational.
Both offenses struggled to get anything going through the first eight innings and it wouldn't get easier for Detroit as Clase entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning. Detroit almost scored but Steven Kwan made an incredible diving catch to keep the game scoreless.
However, the ninth inning was a different story as designated hitter Kerry Carpenter came to the plate with two runners on and two outs in the inning. Cleveland's closer looked untouchable until that point. Carpenter worked the count full and launched a no-doubt three-run homer to put the Tigers on top.
Oh, I leave quite an impression
— MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2024
423 feet to be exact! #ALDS pic.twitter.com/yq6k6Fvss1
That home run was the first homer Clase allowed to a left-handed batter since July 4, 2023. Coincidentally, the last lefty to hit a home run against Clase was Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies who tied things up in the ninth inning but Atlanta ended up losing the game 6-5 in extras.
It's pretty wild that Clase made it over a year without allowing a homer to a left-hander. But it's cool that the Braves are connected to such an exciting moment in playoff baseball.
First home run hit by a LH hitter off Clase since July 4, 2023, when Ozzie Albies did it. 461 days ago.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 7, 2024
Carpenter's home run is a huge momentum shift for the Tigers as they head home to give the home fans at Comerica Park playoff baseball for the first time since 2014. Another interesting Braves anecdote is that Kerry Carpenter pinch hit for former Atlanta prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy in the top of the eighth. If manager AJ Hinch had not made that decision, Detroit may have lost the game.
It stinks that the Braves aren't in the postseason anymore but baseball fans are being treated to some of the best playoff baseball in recent years. There are bitter rivalries and surprises at every turn.