| Detroit Free Press
Tigers celebrate with champagne after beating Guardians to make ALDS
The Detroit Tigers celebrate beating the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, Oct. 2, in Cleveland to advance to the ALDS.
Holding a bottle of champagne, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch addressed his team in a plastic-covered visitors’ locker room at Progressive Field on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Hinch’s speech came after the Tigers had beaten the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 in Game 3 of the AL wild-card series, winning the series 2-1 and advancing to play the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS starting Saturday. It was a particularly sweet win considering the opponent. The Guardians had beaten the Tigers in 5 of 6 games the last two weeks of the season to take the AL Central title, which the Tigers had led by 15.5 games in July.
“Congratulations, this should feel really good,” the Tigers manager began in an Instagram video.
“Not only because of what we’ve done, but where we’re doing it,” he said. “They test us. And test us. And test us. But, we keep answering.”
He continued: “It’s taken 89 wins to get to this point. I know what 11 more bring.”
Before popping the bottle, he ended his speech with a question: “Our first win of the year was where?” To which replies of “Seattle!” ring out in the background. “Let’s go back to Seattle!” he exclaims as the celebration ensues.
