The Motor City hasn’t had a playoff baseball game in ten years. That wait is almost over.
The Detroit Tigers will face the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, with their best-of-five AL Division Series tied at one game each. This ends a drought that has lasted since 2014.
“There’s a whole generation of kids here that haven’t seen postseason baseball live,” said Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris on Tuesday. “Hopefully, they are loud from the very first pitch. I’ve seen the fans help us win games and I’m really excited to see what they can do.”
The Guardians have a player making a long-awaited return to the playoffs.
Alex Cobb last played in the postseason in 2013 when he started two games for Tampa Bay: one win against Cleveland and a loss to Boston in the Division Series.
The 37-year-old right-hander had hip surgery on October 31 last year and hadn’t returned to the mound when he was traded from San Francisco on July 30.
The 2023 All-Star made his season debut on August 9 but was sidelined after two games due to a torn nail on his right index finger.
He returned on September 1 against Pittsburgh and didn’t allow any earned runs in six innings, but then went back on the injured list with a blister on his right middle finger, which ended his regular season. He was 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA in three games and 16 1/3 innings with the Guardians.
“There’s probably nobody in this playoffs that appreciates it more than I do after being away from being in this for so long,” Cobb said.
He prepared for the playoffs by playing in two simulated games.
“I was kind of living and dying on every single pitch of those two sim games to give them the confidence that I was ready,” Cobb said.
Pitching for his fifth major league team, Cobb feels ready for the challenge and opportunity.
“I think having the type of team we have helps you have a little bit more confidence,” he said. “We’ve got the best defense in baseball, best bullpen in baseball.”
Detroit tied the series on Monday when Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, leading to a 3-0 victory against the AL Central champions.
