CLEVELAND: 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 and Marty Castillo 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 . 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.
Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler takes down hometown Cleveland Gurdians in Wild Card Series clincher
https://arab.news/9np8m
Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler takes down hometown Cleveland Gurdians in Wild Card Series clincher
Freddy Schott wins maiden title after 3-way Bahrain Championship playoff
- The German beat Calum Hill and Patrick Reed after they all finished on 17-under after 72 holes
BAHRAIN: Freddy Schott won his first DP World Tour title after beating Calum Hill and Patrick Reed in a playoff at the 2026 Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship on Sunday.
The trio were locked together at 17-under par after 72 holes. This was after Reed shot 67 on Sunday to make up a four-shot overnight deficit to Hill, who began day two clear but had to settle for a 71 after a bogey. Schott carded 69 to join the pair.
Reed bogeyed the first playoff hole to drop out of contention and after Hill went out of bounds second time round, before sending his fourth shot into the water, he sportingly conceded without making Schott putt for the win.
Schott, who was presented with the trophy by Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, said: “I have no idea. It’s just amazing, I’m just extremely happy, surprised ... I don’t know what’s happening right now. I’m just so happy.
“I could have done it the regular way, that would have also been fine. But to do it this way feels even more special so I’m just glad it happened this way.”
Hill, who equaled the course record of 61 in Friday’s second round, added to his two-shot overnight lead with an opening birdie after a superb approach, with Schott responding at the second before both players birdied the next.
The Scot was four clear after another gain at the fifth but bogeyed the sixth while Schott made birdie, cutting the lead to one before drawing level with a birdie at the next.
Schott bogeyed the eighth but led anyway as Hill made a double, and a birdie at the 10th took the German two ahead, only for a double-bogey of his own at the 11th to leave the pair all square again.
“It was tough, especially towards the end,” said Schott.
“The start was okay, because I was playing alright. It had good flow to it. Obviously, nerves kicked in from the back nine onwards. I was happy that I managed it okay, not perfect, but okay, and you guys saw what happened, so I’m very happy now.
Sergio Garcia had joined the leaders by that point after responding to an opening bogey with three birdies in four holes from the third and another three in succession from the ninth, as had Reed after his fifth gain of the day at the 12th.
Daniel Hillier carded six birdies in a blemish-free 66, his second six-under-par round of the week, to set the clubhouse target at 16-under as the leaders still on the course battled for supremacy.
Schott, Hill and Reed all reached 18-under with back-to-back birdies, Reed at the 13th and 14th with his rivals a hole behind.
Garcia’s challenge was left hanging by a thread after a double-bogey at the par-five 14th, as he eventually finished alongside Hillier on 16-under, and Reed dropped a shot at the 16th.
Schott and Hill missed the 17th green to the left before escaping with good chips, but while Hill holed his par putt, Schott made bogey.
Reed set a new clubhouse target of 17-under but when his birdie putt at the last agonizingly stayed up on the short side, Hill had a one-shot lead down the last.
But he sent his approach to the extreme left of the green, leaving a nasty putt up the slope by the side of the green which he was unable to get close. Schott was in similar territory but closer in, allowing him to save par while Hill made bogey to set up the playoff.
Reed found the bunker with his 73rd tee shot and went from there to the edge of another, with Schott and Hill both hitting the fairway and then the heart of the green.
Schott holed for par and despite a superb effort at his up-and-down, Reed was unable to respond and dropped out of contention. Hill held his nerve as he and Schott went back to the tee.
The Scot sent his next tee-shot out of bounds to the left, with Schott only just avoiding the water in response. He sent his approach right of the green but Hill found the water with his fourth and conceded after Schott chipped on.
Hill and Reed shared second with Garcia and Hillier fourth and France’s Ugo Coussaud a shot further back in sixth.
The championship provided invaluable experience for emerging golfers, with local players gaining exposure competing alongside Major champions and multiple DP World Tour winners.
Ahmed Alzayed, Ali Alkowari and Khalifa Almaraisi all teed it up at Royal Golf Club this week, with former Masters champions Garcia and Reed, and three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington.
While the cut proved elusive, the experience of competing at the highest level of professional golf will prove invaluable.
“The competition comes to an end, but it’s not the end for me, I think it’s just the beginning,” said Alkowari.
“I’m happy with the result this year. I played 20 shots better than last year, so there are improvements. Hopefully, if I’m playing next year, it will be even better. Who knows, maybe even making the cut.”
A record crowd of 13,186, a 30 percent increase on last year’s attendance, watched the action across the four days.
