Zach McKinstry’s Clutch 11th Inning Hit Lifts Tigers to Game 1 ALDS Win
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The Detroit Tigers got the stink of the end of the season off of them by defeating the Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card Series. It was a hard fought series on the road that came down to pitching and timely hitting for Detroit.
The Tigers took on the Seattle Mariners in Game One of the Division Series on Saturday night on the road in Seattle. Once again, it was the pitching that shined, keeping Detroit in the game long enough to scrape one out in the 11th.
Troy Melton took the ball just days after allowing for earned runs and recording just one out against Cleveland in a loss. The rookie more than redeemed himself in what turned out to be a terrific postseason debut.
Pitching, Timely Hitting Pushes Detroit to a Win
In four innings of work, Melton allowed two hits and struck out four. His lone run came via a Julio Rodriguez solo home run. The bullpen saw quite a bit of work in the final two games of the past series, so any length out of Melton was going to be a win for manager AJ Hinch.
In the fifth, Kerry Carpenter came up to bat with a runner on. According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic (Subscription Required), Carpenter entered the game 4-for-8 with four home runs off of George Kirby.
The slugger took an 0-2 pitch that was right on the edge of the zone, but called a ball. He hit the next pitch into the right field bleachers, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead.
THAT'S #POSTSEASON KERRY BONDS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/6XqWY3Wgiq
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) October 5, 2025
Rafael Montero allowed a run on two hits to tie the game in the sixth, but was pulled before recording an out. In the eighth, Kyle Finnegan allowed a base hit to Cal Raleigh before striking out Julio Rodriguez swinging, and Will Vest later struck out Eugenio Suarez looking to send the game to extra innings.
In the playoffs, there are no runners at second to start the inning in extras.
Both Will Vest and Andres Muñoz traded inning-ending strikeouts in their scoreless tenth innings, sending it to the 11th at a 2-2 tie.
Spencer Torkelson led off the 11th with a walk, and the game started to break the Tigers way. A wild pitch by new reliever Carlos Vargas allowed Torkelson to stride into second. After two straight strikeouts, Zach McKinstry shot a ball that got past the diving JP Crawford into centerfield, allowing Torkelson to score.
ZACH McKINSTRY IS #BUILTFOROCTOBER pic.twitter.com/4jFOJnd82o
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) October 5, 2025
Keider Montero came on for the bottom of the 11th, and quickly retired Randy Arozarena and Raleigh. After allowing a single to Rodriguez to put the tying run on, Josh Naylor grounded out to first and the Tigers completed their road win in Game One.
Detroit stays hot and takes a huge game on the road in a tight game. The bullpen was the story of the game going seven innings, allowing just one run on three his and four strikeouts. Luckily for the bullpen and AJ Hinch, their ace Tarik Skubal will be taking the mound in Game Two. The Tigers will need him to give them length after a long night for the bullpen.
Game Two will feature Skubal vs. right-hander Luis Castillo at 8:03 p.m. EST on Sunday.
