By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) — Dillon Dingler grew up rooting for the Cleveland Guardians. But on Thursday, he sent them home.
Playing in the ballpark where he attended many games as a youngster, the second-year catcher hit a go-ahead solo homer in the sixth inning to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-3 victory over Cleveland in the decisive Game 3 of their AL Wild Card Series.
Dingler also threw out José Ramírez trying to steal second at a pivotal juncture, helping the Tigers reach the Division Series for the second consecutive season.
“It’s obviously cool. I was always a longtime Guardians fan growing up,” said Dingler, raised about 55 miles from Cleveland in Massillon, Ohio. “It was special. Every time we come here, a lot of family, a lot of friends cheering on, and it’s kind of cool because all of them are Guardians fans.
“Ultimately, it was very special. Kind of closing the door, winning this series.”
Dingler had 16 family members and friends at a Tigers-Guardians game earlier this season. On Thursday, it was only his parents and wife.
Dingler went 8 for 22 in his last six regular-season games, but he was hitless in nine at-bats in the playoff series before coming to the plate with the score tied 1-all and two outs in the sixth.
He got an elevated changeup on a 1-1 count from left-hander Joey Cantillo and launched it 401 feet into the bleachers in left-center to give the Tigers the lead.
Dingler became the first Detroit batter to homer for his first postseason hit since Nick Castellanos in a 2014 Division Series against Baltimore.
Dingler also joined Parker Meadows (2024 Wild Card Series) and Marty Castillo (1984 World Series) as the only rookies in franchise history to hit go-ahead home runs in the postseason.
“I was scratching and crawling a little bit. I was able to get a pitch to hit and do a little damage,” Dingler said. “The team with the biggest momentum or the most momentum was the one that was going to carry on.”
Dingler went to Ohio State and was a second-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft. He made his major league debut last July and his first opening-day roster this season. He then became Detroit’s everyday catcher when Jake Rogers got hurt early in the year and took advantage of the opportunity.
Dingler, who turned 27 on Sept. 17, had a .278 batting average in 126 games along with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. He also had nine three-hit games this season, tied for second-most among catchers in the majors.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, a former catcher himself, said Dingler’s stability and presence behind the plate have been huge.
“What he’s given us on the offensive side is exceptional,” Hinch said. “Our pitchers trust him. You have to earn that. You can’t just show up, be a big leaguer, put on a big league uniform and get that. Inevitably, you have to go out and do it.”
Right-hander Kyle Finnegan, who got the win by retiring all four Cleveland batters he faced, also lauded Dingler’s composure.
“He’s a great target to throw to and it gives you a lot of confidence even when things aren’t going your way. He has a way to calm you down and get you back in the strike zone,” Finnegan said. “And I mean, for him to hit a big one over there is amazing.”
The series win over the AL Central champion Guardians gave the wild-card Tigers plenty of satisfaction. Detroit was up 15 1/2 games on Cleveland in early July and 11 games on Sept. 4 before the biggest collapse in division or league play in baseball history.
Detroit lost five of six to Cleveland over the past two weeks as the Guardians won the division for the second straight season.
The victory also avenged last year’s loss to the Guardians in the deciding Game 5 of their Division Series.
“It doesn’t matter how you get (to the postseason). We got here,” Tigers outfielder Riley Greene said. “We’re moving on and we feel great.”
After having one of the AL’s best records through August, the Tigers are hoping they’ve got back their groove when the Division Series begins in Seattle on Saturday.
“We had our ups and we certainly had our downs. Careful — maybe we’ve woken a sleeping giant with this team,” owner Christopher Ilitch said in the jubilant clubhouse after the game.
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