CLEVELAND – Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning off Cleveland’s All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Guardians 3-0 in Game 2 on Monday, evening their AL Division Series at one apiece Game over.

Carpenter hit a 423-foot shot with two outs off Clase, who hadn’t given up a run since August 30 and led the American League with 47 saves.

Detroit star Tarik Skubal pitched seven shutout innings, raising his postseason total to 13, before the Tigers pitched a rare big inning against the nearly unbeatable Clase.

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

Jake Rogers hit a single and Trey Sweeney hit two consecutive singles. Carpenter, who had previously entered an inning as a pinch-hitter, converted Clase’s third straight slider, sending the ball into the right field seats and shocking Cleveland’s raucous home crowd.

“How about those three two-out hits?” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt had no regrets about using Clase for more than one innings.

“Emmanuel was locked up all year,” Vogt said. “He was almost perfect. He is also human. These things are going to happen and it’s unfortunate when it happened, but at the same time he’s going to have the ball again in the ninth.”

“He’s the best closer in the game for a reason, and they happened to get him tonight.”

The home run drove in the first runs of the series for the Tigers, who have been looking for ways to win for months. Detroit qualified for the postseason after going 31-13 on August 11 and then defeated the AL West champion Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series.

They’re back at it again, heading home to Comerica Park for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday, where they have a chance to advance.

After Skubal pitched seven innings and winner Will Vest got through the eighth inning, Beau Brieske pitched a perfect ninth inning for the save.

Skubal, who won the AL pitching triple crown by leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (288), allowed just three hits. The left-hander dominated the Guardians through the first 4⅓ innings, striking out eight before Josh Naylor scored Cleveland first with one out in the fifth. Skubal then hit rookie Jhonkensy Noel with a left hand.

But the 27-year-old Skubal, who has never played a complete game, got Andres Gimenez to jump into an inning-ending double play and celebrated loudly as he left the mound and headed toward Detroit’s dugout.

Cleveland also threatened in the sixth.

No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio doubled with one out and Kwan hit a single. Rocchio was pinned at third, and Skubal got out of trouble again when Detroit’s infield converted a nifty 6-4-3 double play that prompted the left-hander to raise his hands and ask the crowd for more applause, like a Conductor urging his orchestra to increase volume.

Guardians right-hander Alex Cobb will start Game 3 for the first time since September 1st. He was sidelined by a blister on his middle finger and made just three starts after being acquired in a trade from San Francisco in July. He will pitch for Tampa Bay in the postseason for the first time since Game 3 of the ALDS in 2013.

Detroit manager AJ Hinch had not announced his starter.