The Detroit Tigers roared back to life on Wednesday night, powered by a four-run sixth inning and home runs from Riley Greene and Javier Báez, to defeat the Seattle Mariners 9-3 in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. The victory evened the series at two games apiece and ensured a decisive Game 5 on Friday night in Seattle.
Detroit’s nine-run outburst marked their highest-scoring postseason performance since the 1968 World Series, when they plated 13 runs in Game 6 en route to a championship. The win also snapped an eight-game home losing streak — the Tigers’ first triumph at Comerica Park since Tarik Skubal’s 6-0 gem over the White Sox on September 6.
“We’ve been waiting for that kind of energy at home,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. “This team just doesn’t quit. Now we’ve given ourselves a chance in Game 5.”
The game began as another uphill battle for Detroit. Starter Casey Mize showed flashes of dominance, striking out six in three innings, but his high pitch count — 54 through three frames — forced an early exit. Hinch turned to left-hander Tyler Holton to start the fourth, but the move quickly backfired. Holton failed to retire a batter, loading the bases before Kyle Finnegan entered to limit the damage. A double-play grounder brought in one run, and the Mariners tacked on two more in the fifth off Finnegan, highlighted by Cal Raleigh’s RBI single — his seventh hit of the series — to make it 3-0 Seattle.
With the Comerica Park crowd growing restless, the Tigers finally broke through in the bottom half. Rookie catcher Dillon Dingler doubled home a run to end Bryce Miller’s 23 1/3-inning scoreless streak against Detroit. Pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones followed with a ringing double down the left-field line, trimming the deficit to 3-2. Báez then tied it with an RBI single, reigniting the ballpark and setting the stage for the fireworks to come.
The momentum carried into the sixth inning. Riley Greene led off against reliever Gabe Speier and crushed a 454-foot homer to right-center — the second-longest of his career and the longest at Comerica Park since Gleyber Torres’s 453-foot blast in August 2023.
“Off the bat, I knew it was gone,” Greene said. “We’ve been fighting all series, and to finally put one out in a big moment felt great.”
Spencer Torkelson doubled next and scored on Zach McKinstry’s single before Báez unleashed a two-run homer to left, his sixth career postseason blast, giving Detroit a commanding 7-3 lead.
Torres added to the party in the seventh with a solo shot to right, becoming the third Tigers All-Star to homer on the night. An eighth-inning groundout by Báez drove in another run, closing the scoring at 9-3.
Troy Melton, Detroit’s Game 1 starter, delivered three scoreless innings of relief to earn the win, stabilizing a game that once looked headed toward elimination.
“He’s been huge for us,” Hinch said of Melton. “To come out of the bullpen like that and shut it down — that’s postseason baseball.”
With the series knotted at two, the teams now head back to Seattle for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday night. The Tigers will send ace Tarik Skubal to the mound to face Mariners right-hander George Kirby in what promises to be a tense, high-stakes showdown.
Detroit will look to carry the offensive surge west, while the Mariners aim to reclaim the edge at home.
“We’re not done yet,” Báez said with a grin. “One more game — let’s make it count.”
