Tigers’ ALDS loss to Mariners should put a smile on every Guardians’ fans face

While the Detroit Tigers will always have the one-up on the Guardians when it comes to this season thanks to their three-game win over the Guardians in the Wild Card Series, they made some history in the worst way Saturday morning when they lost a 15-inning marathon to the Mariners in Game 5 of the ALDS. It was the longest winner-take-all game by innings in MLB history.

Even if the gut-wrenching loss doesn’t take away from Cleveland’s short exit in October, it should bring a bit of joy to Guardians fans to see such a bitter rival get eliminated on the biggest stage in such dramatic fashion. 

Guardians get postseason vindication with Mariners’ win over Tigers 

Neither team was able to get much going, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that both teams needed fifth innings to score the winning run. The Mariners took an early lead in the second inning on a Mitch Garver sacrifice fly before the Tigers took the lead in the sixth inning on a two-run home run from Kerry Carpenter. 

After adding his name to the list of Guardians postseason nemeses with his strong showing against Cleveland in the Wild Card Series (again), Carpenter seemed destined to be the postseason hero once again. 

Enter Leo Rivas. 

Rivas tied the game in the seventh inning with a two-out pinch-hit single which ended up setting the tone for eight more innings of baseball in extras. Both teams had to dip into their starting pitching depth before the Mariners loaded the bases on a J.P. Crawford single, Randy Arozarena hit by pitch and Julio Rodríguez intentional walk. Jorge Polanco played hero with a single to right field to win the game. 

With the win, the Mariners will now move on to face the Blue Jays in a series that will feature plenty of Cleveland connections. The Blue Jays have six former Guardians on their roster, and there’s a good chance that all of them could end up playing pivotal roles for Toronto. That’ll start with starting pitcher Shane Bieber, who could get the ball in Game 1 of the series after struggling in the ALDS. 

On the other side, former Guardian Josh Naylor serves as the heartbeat of Seattle’s lineup after being acquired mid-season from the Diamondbacks. He picked up a game-high three hits against the Tigers and is hitting .261 this postseason. 

And although this isn’t the first year we’ve had to watch former Guardians succeed in the postseason, it’s going to sting a little more seeing some of the franchise’s modern-day icons duke it out for a chance to play in the Fall Classic. 

But if the Guardians aren’t going to win, seeing a former member of the club stand at the top of the mountain is a close second.