Skubal strikes out career-high 14 as Tigers take Game 1

Tarik Skubal struck out a career-high 14 batters over 7 2/3 innings Tuesday as the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 to take Game 1 of the American League wild-card series at Progressive Field.

Skubal's 14 strikeouts tied Joe Coleman for the most in a postseason game in franchise history. Coleman struck out 14 in Game 3 of the 1972 ALCS.

Skubal outdueled Guardians starter Gavin Williams, who struck out eight and allowed two unearned runs across six frames.

"Tarik set an incredible tone for us," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said postgame, according to ASAP Sports.

"He's been incredible for us all season, but what a performance at the biggest moment on the biggest stage to get us in a great position to win the game."

Detroit opened the scoring in the first inning when Kerry Carpenter came home on Spencer Torkelson's RBI single, which followed an error by Guardians outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez.

The Tigers scored the game-winning run in the seventh when Zach McKinstry bunted home Riley Greene.

The Guardians threatened in the ninth inning as a runner reached third base with no outs, but they couldn't score. Cleveland only managed four hits in the contest, and only one of those hits left the infield. José Ramírez broke for home on a contact play with one out, but was caught in a rundown after Kyle Manzardo tapped a comebacker into Tigers closer Will Vest's glove.

"That ball goes two feet either way, he scores, but it just happened to go right back to Vest," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said, according to The Associated Press. "We run the bases aggressive and I wouldn't play that any other way. You just hope with a runner on third and no out that we could get a ball to the outfield, and we weren't able to do it."

Game 2 takes place Wednesday at 1:08 p.m. ET in Cleveland. Casey Mize starts for the Tigers opposite Tanner Bibee for the Guardians.