Detroit Tigers in ALDS: Tarik Skubal's start, Colt Keith's health, Chris Ilitch's message
Owner Christopher Ilitch sent a message as the Detroit Tigers celebrated their trip to the ALDS. The message? He wants to win a World Series.
CLEVELAND — The Detroit Tigers are headed back to the ALDS.
To advance for the second straight season, the Tigers earned a 6-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, Oct. 2, in Game 3 of the AL wild-card series at Progressive Field. The three-run victory was fueled by a four-run seventh inning.
The ALDS begins Saturday.
Is left-hander Tarik Skubal going to start Game 2 against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park?
"I don't know when Game 2 is," said the former college star at Seattle University.
It's Sunday.
"Yeah, I should be lined up for that," said Skubal, who would then be lined up for Game 5 of the best-of-five ALDS, if necessary. "It means a lot. I get to go home. I'll have some friends and family in the stands. It's another good opportunity to go out there and compete."
The Tigers are scheduled to play Games 1 and 2 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Saturday and Sunday, then Game 3 at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday. If needed, Game 4 will be in Detroit and Game 5 will be in Seattle.
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In the AL wild card, Skubal — the 2024 AL Cy Young winner and 2025 favorite — set the tone for the Tigers during a 2-1 win in Game 1. He allowed one run on three hits and three walks with tying a franchise postseason record with 14 strikeouts across 7⅔ innings, throwing 107 pitches.
Skubal has made three of his four postseason starts at Cleveland's Progressive Field, with the only other start coming against the Houston Astros in at then-Minute Maid Park in last season's wild-card series.
His next start will be at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
"They have a great environment here, and I enjoy playing here," Skubal said of the home of the Guardians, "but it's good to send them home because they sent us home last year."
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Is Colt Keith ready to play?
Third baseman Colt Keith celebrated with the Tigers in the clubhouse after winning the AL wild-card series. He wasn't active, but he joined the Tigers for best-of-three series against the Guardians.
Keith has been on the injured list for two weeks with right rib cage inflammation, which he described as an intercostal strain. The Tigers hope Keith will return for the ALDS.
Is Keith ready to play?
"I'm close," Keith said. "We'll see."
The Tigers brought Keith to Progressive Field to increase the volume and intensity of his return-to-play program. Since arriving, Keith has been throwing and running on the field and swinging in the batting cage.
He also supported his teammates from the dugout.
Earlier this week, manager A.J. Hinch said Keith took a "step forward" from Tuesday to Wednesday, but at the time, Hinch didn't know if Keith would be ready for the ALDS.
"I still got to ramp up with everything and see where we're at in the next few days," Keith said.
Keith hasn't played since Sept. 18.
Christopher Ilitch sends message
Owner Christopher Ilitch sent a message as the Tigers celebrated their trip to the ALDS.
The message?
He wants to win a World Series.
The Tigers haven't won the World Series since 1984 — nor have they even reached it in Ilitch's tenure as owner, which began in 2017. (The Tigers last reached the World Series in 2006 and 2012 under his late father, Mike Ilitch.)
Ilitch spoke the words "World Series" four times in 165 seconds Thursday.
Here are the four references:
"I love this group. Whether we do it with this group or it's another group, we're going to stay focused on winning a World Series, but this is a huge step for this team. I love these guys, and I'm very proud of them."
"I think they are very representative of Detroit. Detroiters are tough. We're gritty. We never give up. This team has done the same — never gave up, very tough, very gritty. I'm super proud of them. This is a step on our journey. We want to win a World Series. If it's this year, great, but if not, we're going to keep at it until we get there."
"Baseball, it's a long season. It's tough. It's never going to be a straight line. It's up and down. We had our ups, and we certainly had our downs. Careful, maybe we've woken a sleeping giant with this team. I'm not sure. This win to me is about this group of guys, and it's about Tiger fans. We're very, very focused to win a World Series. Maybe this year, may not be, but we're going to keep after it. I like this group of guys, and I like the young guys we've got coming."
"I want more than anything for Tigers fans to know we're laser-focused on winning a World Series. It may or may not happen this year. I love this group of guys. I hope it does, and if it doesn't, we're going to come right back next year with this same group and maybe some younger ones that are moving in, and we're going to keep after it, but we are highly focused on that."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal ready for Game 2 of ALDS vs Mariners
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