The Cleveland Guardians made it to the ninth inning in the middle of a scoreless tie while facing a team with Tarik Skubal on the mound.
That was, you could say, one part of the plan right there.
Unfortunately, the other two parts failed: producing against the Tigers’ bullpen and its own relief corps completely shutting down the Detroit Tigers.
As a result, Detroit won 3-0 and evened the AL Division Series.
The one who failed on Monday was none other than Emmanuel Clase, the All-Star closer with the historic season.
Baseball can be a cruel mistress sometimes: Clase had a 0.61 ERA in 74.1 frames in the regular season, conceding just five earned runs.
On Monday, however, he allowed three Tigers to cross home plate, all on Kerry Carpenter’s three-run homer in the top of the ninth.
“Kerry Carpenter off Emmanuel Clase. He allowed five earned runs in six months during the regular season. He allowed three earned runs on this pitch, which came with two outs and two strikes. The biggest swing for Detroit in a decade,” MLB insider Jeff Passan posted on X.
Kerry Carpenter off Emmanuel Clase. He allowed five earned runs in six months during the regular season. He allowed three earned runs on this pitch, which came with two outs and two strikes. The biggest swing for Detroit in a decade. pic.twitter.com/yH7pjarcWP
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 7, 2024
As Passan explained, Clase was one strike away from getting out of the inning and gifting the Guards a chance to walk it off with a run in the bottom of the ninth.
One strike.
Instead, he hung a slider in the middle of the strike zone and Carpenter didn’t miss it.
Beau Brieske closed it out for the Tigers in the ninth.
The expected scenario presented itself: Detroit winning the Skubal start.
Still, it hurts to think that it wasn’t Skubal beating the Guards: it was Clase failing to show up and their offense failing to produce against Will Vest and Brieske.
NEXT: Guardians Make One Notable Lineup Change Ahead Of Game 2
