The Detroit Tigers rallied in the fifth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-1, and clinch a 2025 MLB playoff berth.
Jahmai Jones doubled with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the fifth to score the Tigers’ only runs.
Right-hander Keider Montero allowed one run over 4 1/3 innings for the Tigers.
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox were hung over after a night of celebration from clinching a spot in the postseason. Top players Alex Bregman, Trevor Story and Jarren Duran weren’t in the starting lineup. Left-hander Connelly Early took the mound for the fourth start of his MLB career.
The Detroit Tigers didn’t let the opportunity slip away.
The Tigers secured their spot in the 2025 MLB postseason with a 2-1 win over the Red Sox on Saturday, Sept. 27, in the second of three games at Fenway Park. A two-run single from Jahmai Jones in the fifth inning led to the victory.
It’s the second straight playoff appearance for the Tigers.
Detroit Tigers AL Central situation
Not only did the Tigers (87-74) clinch a postseason berth, but they also took a half-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central Division race.
The Guardians have two games remaining, including Saturday night’s game against the Texas Rangers, while the Tigers have one game remaining.
The Tigers can take the AL Central title with a win in Sunday’s finale and a loss by the Guardians in either of their final two games.
Even if the Guardians win out, the Tigers can grab the second wild-card berth (and a visit to the second-place finisher in the AL East, either the Toronto Blue Jays or New York Yankees) with a win over Boston on Sunday (3:05 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit).
Tarik Skubal, scheduled to start Sunday should the Tigers need a win to make the playoffs, will now be the starting pitcher in Tuesday’s Game 1 wild-card series opener.
Scoring on Early, not so early
In Saturday’s win, the Tigers finally got to Early in the fifth inning.
In the fifth, the Tigers loaded the bases with two outs on Dillon Dingler’s single, Javier Báez’s single and Parker Meadows’ walk — leaving the big moment up to Jahmai Jones, whose role is to crush left-handed pitchers.
Jones made the most of the matchup advantage.
He ripped Early’s second-pitch changeup into left field for a two-run, driving in Dingler and Báez. There was a plate at the plate, but Báez beat the throw from left fielder Masataka Yoshida with a slide that avoided the tag.
The single from Jones put the Tigers ahead, 2-1.
To get to the finish line, the Tigers rolled out four relievers after right-hander Keider Montero covered 4⅓ innings.
These four relievers kept the Red Sox from scoring in the final 4⅔ innings: left-hander Brant Hurter (one inning), right-hander Rafael Montero (1⅓ innings), left-hander Tyler Holton (1⅓ innings) and right-hander Will Vest (one inning).
The Tigers put the final three outs in Vest’s hands.
Keider Montero gets job done
Montero kept his emotions in check.
He also executed his pitches.
The 25-year-old allowed one run across 4⅓ innings, throwing 76 pitches. He filled up the strike zone and didn’t walk any batters in the most important game of his two-year MLB career, spanning 38 games (27 starts).
The Red Sox scored their only run against Montero in the second inning, a product of singles from Rafaela, Narváez and Nick Sogard. In the second, the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead on Sogard’s RBI single off Montero’s elevated fastball with two strikes and two outs.
Montero did everything the Tigers needed him to do.
Not only did he escape further damage in the second inning, but he worked around a one-out single in the first inning with three strikeouts and a one-out single in the fourth inning with a pop out and two strikeouts.
He finished the season with a 4.37 ERA in 20 games (12 starts).
Epic catch by Javier Báez
The Red Sox should’ve scored two runs in the second inning.
Only one run scored.
For that, the Tigers can thank Báez.
With runners on the corners and two outs, David Hamilton checked his swing on a middle-away changeup from Montero, but he didn’t pull back in time.
He accidentally hit a blooper into shallow left field.
Báez sprinted after the ball from the dirt at shortstop, laid out in a full-extension dive in the outfield grass and completed the catch, saving a run. He jogged off the field like nothing happened, but it was a special play.