The Detroit Tigers moved one step closer to clinching a spot in the American League Championship Series on Wednesday afternoon against the Cleveland Guardians.

Playing in front of their home crowd at Comerica Field, they won 3-0, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 4 will be played on Thursday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 6:08 PM ET.

The win in Game 3 was another testament to how the Tigers continue to defy the odds despite some unorthodox game plans. Manager AJ Hinch has pressed the right buttons with his pitching staff in games not started by Tarik Skubal.

Openers have been used exclusively, with big inning pitchers behind them, and the roles are constantly changing based on what is needed.

On Wednesday, Beau Brieske, who recorded the save in Game 2, closed out the fifth, pitched the entire sixth and got one out in the seventh. Tyler Holton, who has two starts this postseason, ended the game in the ninth inning.

In doing so, the pitching staff wrote an incredible postseason history. As shared by Sarah Langs of MLB.com, the previous low for the number of outs recorded by a starting pitcher in a shutout was five for the San Diego Padres in National League Wild Card Series Game 3.

On Wednesday, Detroit got just three outs from their starter in the shutout. The Padres now rank third in those stats, as the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated them in Game 3 of their series with a starter who recorded just four outs.

Keider Montero, the only starter Hinch used for much of the second half other than Skubal, pitched the first inning against Cleveland before being relieved by Brant Hurter, who threw 3.1 innings.

A total of six Tigers pitchers were used in Game 3. Sean Guenther recorded one out in the seventh inning before being replaced by Will Vest, who ended that inning before also pitching an error-free eighth.

This group deserves a lot of credit for always being ready, no matter what their role is. Whether they come into a game and pitch in the third or ninth inning, they bring the same level of competitiveness to the mound.

Hinch also deserves credit for the way he navigated such a difficult situation. He seems to make the right decision every time. His staff allowed just ten runs in five postseason games with consecutive 3-0 shutout victories.