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Baseball playoffs: Tigers, Royals win to even AL Division Series

By The Associated Press

Published: October 7, 2024, 8:42pm

Detroit Tigers' Trey Sweeney (27) and Jake Rogers wait at home plate for teammate Kerry Carpenter after Carpenter hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning during Game 2 of baseball's AL Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homer off Cleveland’s All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning, and the Detroit Tigers stunned the Guardians 3-0 in Game 2 on Monday at Cleveland to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Carpenter connected for a 423-foot shot with two outs off Clase, who had not given up a run since Aug. 30 and led the American League with 47 saves.

Detroit ace Tarik Skubal pitched seven shutout innings, increasing his postseason total to 13, before the Tigers put together a rare big inning against the almost unhittable Clase.

The intimidating right-hander has dominated hitters all season — he hasn’t blown a save since May — and was making just his second multi-inning appearance of 2024.

Jake Rogers singled and Trey Sweeney hit consecutive two-out singles. Carpenter, who entered an inning earlier as a pinch-hitter, turned on Clase’s third straight slider, sending the ball into the right-field seats and shocking Cleveland’s rowdy home crowd.

ROYALS 4, YANKEES 2

Salvador Perez homered leading off the fourth inning to spark a four-run rally against Carlos Rodón, and Kansas City beat New York at Yankee Stadium to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Four relievers held New York in check after an inconsistent Cole Ragans lasted four innings. Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia singled in runs for the Royals.

Garcia, moved up from ninth to first in Kansas City’s batting order, had four hits.

Game 3 in the best-of-five playoff is Wednesday night at Kansas City, the Royals’ first postseason home game since the 2015 World Series.

Yankees star Aaron Judge went 1 for 3 with an infield single and is 1 for 7 with four strikeouts in the series. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., expected to finish second to Judge in AL MVP voting, was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, dropping to 0 for 10 in the series.

All four Division Series opened 1-1 for the first time since the round started in 1995.

ROYALS 4, YANKEES 2

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