Guardians beat Tigers 6-1, force decisive game three

VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS OF CLEVELAND GUARDIANS V DETROIT TIGERS MLB GAME  COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: CLEVELAND, OHIO, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 1, 2025) (MLB – See restrictions) STORY: Brayan Rocchio hit a go-ahead solo homer and Bo Naylor added a three-run blast during a decisive five-run eighth inning as the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-1 on Wednesday (October 1), forcing a winner-take-all Game 3 in their American League wild-card series. The Guardians will host Thursday's decisive game, aiming to become the first team to advance after losing Game 1 under the current wild-card format. Rocchio's 379-foot homer off Tigers reliever Troy Melton (0-1) broke a 1-1 tie with one out in the eighth inning. Steven Kwan followed with a double and scored on Daniel Schneeman's RBI single. After an intentional walk to Jose Ramirez, Melton was replaced by Brant Hurter, who surrendered Naylor's first career postseason homer, a three-run shot that made it 5-1 and electrified the crowd of 26,669. The Tigers struggled offensively, leaving 15 runners on base and going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position. However, they tied the game in the fourth inning on Javier Baez's RBI single, but a replay review overturned a potential second run after Zach McKinstry was ruled out trying to advance to third before Dillon Dingler crossed home plate. The Guardians opened the scoring in the first inning on a solo homer by George Valera, who connected off Tigers starter Casey Mize. Mize allowed one run on one hit over three-plus innings. Guardians starter Tanner Bibee pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up one run on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks. Cleveland closer Cade Smith (1-0) worked the final 1 1/3 innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to secure the win. Rocchio committed an error in the final frame but redeemed himself by helping to end the game. The Tigers took Game 1 of the series 2-1, backed by 14 strikeouts from reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Both Tigers runs in the opener were unearned, stemming from Cleveland errors by Johnathan Rodriguez and Jhonkensy Noel. (Production: Suramya Kaushik) More MLB content is available on Reuters Connect here: https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?sources=mlbimagen

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)