October 3rd, 2025

The duel stayed scoreless into the fourth until Cody Bellinger hustled into a leadoff double when a routine fly ball clanked off Ceddanne Rafaela’s glove, opening the door.

With momentum swinging, Amed Rosario ripped a sharp single to left, scoring Bellinger for the game’s first run.

The rally continued as Anthony Volpe punched a grounder through to right, plating Giancarlo Stanton to make it 2–0 Yankees.

Still in the fourth, Austin Wells chopped a grounder that skipped off Nathaniel Lowe’s glove, bringing home two more runs in a crushing sequence for Boston’s defense.

From there, Cam Schlittler overpowered the Sox, dialing up 100 mph heat and striking out 12 across eight scoreless innings — the most ever by a Yankees rookie in the postseason.

In the eighth, Ryan McMahon made a highlight catch over the railing in foul territory, tumbling into the visiting dugout to steal an out.

Closer David Bednar finished it off in the ninth, sealing the shutout and sparking champagne in the Bronx clubhouse.

Cam Schlittler: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K

David Bednar: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Amed Rosario: 1-3, RBI, R

Anthony Volpe: 1-4, RBI

Austin Wells: 0-3, RBI

Cody Bellinger: 1-4, R

Giancarlo Stanton: 1-3, 2B, R, BB

Masataka Yoshida: 2-4

Trevor Story: 1-4

Nathaniel Lowe: 1-4

Connelly Early: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 ER), 6 K

In the third, Kerry Carpenter doubled home Parker Meadows to give Detroit the first lead of the night.

Cleveland tied it in the fourth as José Ramírez singled in George Valera to even the score at 1–1.

The Tigers reclaimed control in the sixth when Dillon Dingler crushed a solo homer to center, putting Detroit back ahead, 2–1.

With two on in the seventh, Wenceel Pérez broke out of his slump with a clutch two-run single, stretching the lead to 4–1.

The rally kept rolling as Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene added back-to-back RBI singles, turning a tight game into a 6–1 advantage.

Cleveland threatened in the eighth, plating two runs with help from a Detroit error, but Will Vest slammed the door with five outs to finish it off.

As Spencer Torkelson recorded the final out at first, the Tigers stormed the field to celebrate their second straight ALDS berth.

Kerry Carpenter: 1-2, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, R

Wenceel Pérez: 1-5, 2 RBI, R (first hit of postseason)

Dillon Dingler: 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB

Riley Greene: 2-5, RBI

Parker Meadows: 2-4, 2 R

Jack Flaherty: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Will Vest: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, save

José Ramírez: 1-4, RBI

George Valera: 1-4, 2B, R

Brayan Rocchio: 1-3, R

Slade Cecconi: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Joey Cantillo: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

The night began with a roar as Pete Crow-Armstrong robbed Manny Machado of extra bases in the first, laying out for a sliding catch on a 111.2 mph rocket — a Statcast miracle with just a 10% chance of being caught.

Chicago struck first in the second when Seiya Suzuki doubled to the gap, and PCA followed with a sharp single up the middle to bring home Kyle Tucker and fire up the Wrigley crowd.

The game tightened until the seventh, when Michael Busch provided breathing room by crushing a solo homer to right-center, his blast making it 3–0 Cubs and sending fans into a frenzy.

San Diego tried to spark late drama in the ninth as rookie Jackson Merrill launched a solo shot to trim the lead, but the Cubs bullpen never cracked.

Fittingly, it ended in the glove of PCA — drifting under the final fly ball in center, squeezing it tight, and celebrating with fist pumps to the bleachers as Chicago clinched.

Pete Crow-Armstrong: 3-4, RBI, highlight-reel catch, final out

Michael Busch: 3-4, HR (solo)

Kyle Tucker: 2-4, R

Seiya Suzuki: 1-4, 2B, R

Jameson Taillon: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K

Jackson Merrill: 2-4, HR (solo), 2B

Freddy Fermin: 2-4, 2B

Yu Darvish: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER

Robert Suarez: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 K