BOSTON — Jamhai Jones hit a two-run single to rally the Detroit Tigers from an early deficit, and his team hung on to defeat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Saturday, clinching a spot in the American League playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Less than 24 hours after the Red Sox sealed their postseason berth, the Tigers claimed at least a wild card and eliminated the Houston Astros from the race. Detroit still could win the AL Central title but would need help from Cleveland, which played Texas on Saturday night.
Kyle Montero and four relievers held Boston to one run and seven hits. Tyler Holton (6-5) got four outs for the victory. Will Vest pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.
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“Kind of a crazy ride but it’s well worth it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told his team in the clubhouse on Saturday night, during the celebration. “We went up, we went down, we went up again.”
The Tigers (87-74) led the division by as many as 14 games in July and still held a 9½-game lead on Sept 11 before losses in 12 out of 14 games dropped them into a tie with Cleveland (86-74). The Guardians, who were in fourth place and 15½ games back on July 7, are 17-4 since Sept. 5 and hold the tiebreaker against Detroit.
In Sunday’s series finale, Detroit has ace Tarik Skubal (13-6) lined up for the game, but the Tigers would love to save him for the postseason opener.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
