After an incredible Saturday game which featured all kinds of feelings, the season finale took place on another picture-perfect day in Detroit against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Tigers tried to go for the sweep of the Pirates, but ultimately lost 4-2.
It was going to be a game featuring the comeback of Jack Flaherty from the Injured List, but the starter was River Ryan, who is making a return from Tommy John surgery in late 2024. Ryan came to the Tigers in the Tarik Skubal trade and looked good in his
one previous start for Detroit: three two-hit, run-free innings against Washington in which he walked one and whiffed three. Flaherty, meanwhile, has had an up-and-down season, and has been on the shelf with right flexor inflammation since July. But in his time on the mound in Detroit this season, walks have been a huge issue, which occasionally led to innings spiralling out of control.
Jared Jones, who also missed the 2025 season due to ulnar colateral ligament surgery — with a brace rather than ligament replacement (i.e., TJ) — took the mound for Pittsburgh. This was his twenty-first start for the Buccos this year, and his twentieth was sensational: he gave up one hit, walked none and struck out nine Cardinals on September 22. His eighteenth start also featured seven innings, one hit, and no runs, in a game in Chicago against the White Sox. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had some clunkers along the way (e.g. coughing up eight runs against the Mets in early August), but when he’s on he can be nearly unhittable.
Pittsburgh wasted no time getting on the board: on the second pitch of the game, Konnor Griffin clubbed his sixth home run of the year for a 1-0 lead.
The visitors added to the lead in the second, as Spencer Horwitz drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a single, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and came home on another single. Another walk loaded the bases with none out, with Ryan labouring and the bullpen warming. After Ryan struck out Billy Cook, he was shown the door and Beau Brieske took over. Four pitches later Griffin hit a crisp grounder to shortstop to start an inning-ending double play, closing the book on Ryan: 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K. Not great, but it could’ve been a lot worse.
Early on, it certainly looked like we got Unhittable Jones: through two innings the Tigers had nary a baserunner, he threw 20 of his 30 pitches for strikes, and he struck out four.
Pittsburgh’s lead extended to 3-0 in the fourth with a Billy Cook double to score Nick Gonzales, and Griffin’s single scored Cook for a 4-0 lead.
With two out in the bottom of the fourth the Tigers got their first hit of the day, as Kevin McGonigle hit a solid single to centrefield. The only baserunner Jones had allowed to that point was Spencer Torkelson, who he’d plunked.
Brieske gave way to Jack Flaherty to start the fifth inning, his first relief appearance since 2023; he had a six-pitch 1-2-3 fifth, which must’ve felt mighty nice. He gave up a harmless single in the sixth and that was it for Flaherty’s outing. Ty Madden pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, too, which was nice.
The Tigers got on the board in the bottom of the seventh with a McGonigle solo home run, narrowing the gap to 4-1.
After Riley Greene grounded out, Eduardo Valencia hit a sizzling 109.8 mph (177.9 km/h) home run, which went 441 ft (1323 hands) for a 4-2 score.
With two out in the inning, Jace Jung (pinch-hitting for Torkelson) struck out, but reached first base on a wild pitch, bringing the tying run to the plate in Zach McKinstry. Alas, McKinstry looked at a strike-three curveball and the side was retired.
Nice moment in the eighth: McGonigle took the field to start the inning, then AJ Hinch took him off the field to a nice ovation from the Comerica Park crowd, in recognition of the fantastic rookie season he had. Coming into today’s game he led the American League in both plate appearances with 704 and a 6.9 bWAR, and if he doesn’t win Rookie of the Year, I’ll eat my hat.
(I’m being told that I’m not currently wearing a hat.)
Madden ended up finishing the game with three hitless innings of relief, ending on a mile-high popup to Ben Malgeri in right field. It’ll be interesting to see what the Tigers do with him next year; is his stuff better suited for the rotation, or could he possibly be converted into a lockdown relief arm? Time will tell.
Mason Montgomery, one of a pair of triple-digit lefty closers for the Pirates (along with Gregory Soto), came out for the ninth to lock the game down. Valencia looked at strike three for the final out of the season, and that was that.
Final score: Pirates 4, Tigers 2
Three Cheers for Max
Max Scherzer started the day ten strikeouts behind Justin Verlander for his career, and my goodness, did he try to catch him. He had seven through seven innings — after 109 pitches no less — and, in what’s a somewhat unthinkable turn of events these days, he came back out for the eighth. Here he is getting talked-to by Jays manager John Schneider, but staying in the game in the seventh.
Alas, after a leadoff walk in the eighth, he left the game to a huge ovation in Toronto; after coming out of the game he hopped a short fence near the dugout to hug his family in the stands. If that’s it for Max (you never know, especially with him), what a career it’s been. Love that guy.
First Annual Recap Report
Data source: BYB Command Centre; data accurate to the best of our knowledge
Too Many Numbers and Notes
- The Tigers finished the season with a 76-86 record. This was their fewest number of wins in a season since 2022, when that extremely-forgettable team went 66-96.
- Since 1901, the Tigers’ overall record (not including ties) is now 9839-9728, for an overall winning percentage of .503.
- Today was umpire Laz Diaz’s final game of his career. He was behind the plate on Saturday, and was at third base today. His first career game in the Major Leagues was at Tiger Stadium.
- That’s a mighty fine name for a baseball facility which is the home of a team called the Tigers, come to think of it. Mr. Ilitch, give me a call and we can talk.
- Based on their run differential, the Tigers should have gone 89-73. Funny how that works sometimes, though.
- Did you know there’s also a River Ryan, Nova Scotia? It’s on Cape Breton Island. It’s tiny.
- On this day in 1066, William the Conquerer set sail from France to go, uh, conquer something. I mean, it’s right there in the name.
