CLEVELAND – He didn’t start the game, but he helped end it.

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter hit a go-ahead three-run home run off Cleveland Guardians All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning of Game 2 of their American League Division Series on Monday to break a scoreless tie.

The explosion – the hardest ball he has hit in his career – came off a 2-2 slider and tied the best-of-five series at one game apiece. Game 3 is Wednesday in Detroit.

“I wasn’t on it, but I was just in time for his hardest throw… and I felt like starting him in a certain zone, and my instincts took over and he missed a spot,” Carpenter said. said after the Tigers’ 3-0 win. “So I took advantage of it.”

The 450-foot shot came on back-to-back two-out hits on Clase from catcher Jake Rogers and shortstop Trey Sweeney. The improbable home run was the first that Clase served up to a left-handed hitter all season and was only the ninth in postseason history in the ninth inning or later of a scoreless game, according to ESPN Research.

“It’s just who you want on the board there,” Detroit teammate Spencer Torkelson said. “If you have a guy who can stay that cool in those moments, then you have the best chance to succeed.”

Torkelson’s comments were echoed by others in the clubhouse. That’s because Detroit’s surge in the second half of the postseason coincided with Carpenter’s return to the lineup after missing 2.5 months with a lumbar spine stress fracture.

The Tigers were ranked 24th when he was injured, but that rose to 11th from the day he rejoined the team in August through the end of the regular season. Carpenter’s two home runs against Seattle in his first game on August 13 (and another the next day) foreshadowed his impact.

“Everyone knows it,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “It’s no secret that he’s a big threat and he’s prepared, and he’s as balanced a person as you can get, which allows him to stay grounded in whatever we ask him to do. We have missed him very much this past year. “

Carpenter entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, popping up at the catcher after taking “zero” swings in the batting cage while waiting his turn. He knew he would get at least one more chance, as the Guardians were in their bullpen in the fifth inning and the Tigers like to use their bench for the best matchups.

“It’s kind of fun to be a part of this, and to do it from (Clase) is special because he’s literally the best closer in the game for a reason,” Carpenter said.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said: “These things are going to happen, and it’s unfortunate the timing of when that happened, but at the same time he’ll have the ball again in the ninth.”

Nervous tension mounted throughout the afternoon as neither team could get a runner home. While Guardians starter Matthew Boyd came out of the game in the fifth, that was not the case for Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The likely AL Cy Young winner was as good as ever, throwing seven shutout innings while saving his best pitches for inning-ending double play balls in the fifth and sixth innings.

“That’s when I’m at my best when I keep the game simple and just go right at the guys,” Skubal said. “Hit one, hit two and make guys uncomfortable.”

Skubal came off the mound after both moments and showed emotion as he walked back to the dugout.

He has earned that right, as he became the fifth pitcher to begin his postseason career with multiple scoreless outings of six innings or more.

He eliminated the Houston Astros over six innings in the wild-card round, and against him Monday, the Guardians had just three hits, struck out eight and didn’t earn a free pass. Skubal was dominant.

“There’s a reason he’s the best pitcher in the world,” reliever Beau Brieske said with a smile.

Skubal would be in line to start Game 5 if necessary.

Detroit scratched and clawed its way to the postseason before defeating Houston in the AL Wild Card Series. The Tigers ultimately suffered a blow, losing 7-0 in Game 1 on Saturday.

“You’ve got to stay in the fight,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “That’s it.”

The Tigers have been in that battle for nearly two months, since about the time Carpenter returned to the lineup. His home run Monday changed the tone of the series in an instant.

“I knew it was gone,” he said. “And it was just a great feeling to be able to come through for this team.”