USA TODAY Sports’ Gabe Lacques discusses the battle between sluggers Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh for the American League MVP.
Sports Pulse
The first of three win-or-go-home Game 3s in MLB’s wild-card round will pit two American League Central division foes against each other one last time in 2025.
The Tigers took Game 1 of this AL Wild Card Series behind a dominant performance from starter Tarik Skubal, and the Guardians got even in Game 2 behind a tiebreaking five-run eighth inning that included home runs by Brayan Rocchio and Bo Naylor.
The winner of Thursday’s game will fly to Seattle to take on the AL West-winning Mariners in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday.
Watch Tigers at Guardians on Fubo (free trial)
Any Cleveland fans worried about Cecconi’s pitch count after the first can breathe a little easier. The third-year pro got through the 5-6-7 hitters in the Tigers’ lineup in just eight pitches, putting him at 34 for the game. We remain scoreless heading into the bottom of the second.
If Cecconi’s first inning went as well as it could have, Jack Flaherty matched his Cleveland counterpart, going three-up, three-down and ending the inning by punching out Jose Ramirez. We head to the second inning, still tied at 0.
The first inning went about as well as it could have for Slade Cecconi. He struck out two Tigers including an inning ending punchout to Tigers’ cleanup man Spencer Torkelson.
While Cecconi did walk one batter, he looked composed, which is reportedly why Guardians’ manager Stephen Vogt wanted him for this do-or-die Game 3.
The only other downside was that Cecconi needed 26 pitches to get through the inning. At this rate, he may not last even four innings.
What time is Tigers vs. Guardians Game 3?
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025
- Start time: 3:08 p.m. ET
Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series between the Tigers and Guardians will start at 3:08 p.m. ET from Progressive Field in Cleveland.
What channel is Tigers vs. Guardians Game 3?
- TV channel: ABC
- Streaming: ESPN app, Fubo
MLB postseason bracket
American League
National League
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports MLB writers and editors see Game 3 of the Tigers-Guardians wild-card series shaking out:
- Bob Nightengale: Guardians 4, Tigers 2
- Gabe Lacques: Tigers 4, Guardians 2
- Jesse Yomtov: Guardians 5, Tigers 3
Right-hander Jack Flaherty is no stranger to pitching with the spotlight the brightest. Flaherty appeared in five games during the Dodgers’ World Series run last year, including two starts in the World Series against the Yankees. Flaherty had a disappointing 2025 regular season, going 8-15 with a 4.64 ERA. He did finish strong, posting a 3.86 ERA in four starts during September, which was his best month aside from April. Flaherty faced the Guardians three times during the season and went 0-3 with a 3.94 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 16 innings. His final two regular-season starts came against Cleveland, which scored one earned run in five innings on Sept. 17 and tagged him for three earned runs in 4.1 innings on Sept. 24.
Acquired for Josh Naylor during the offseason, right-hander Slade Cecconi was a bit of a stabilizing force for Cleveland this year. Cecconi gave the Guardians 23 starts and was 7-7 with a 4.30 ERA during the season. Cecconi was clutch for the Guardians down the stretch, allowing two or fewer runs in four of his final five starts, compiling a 2.19 ERA during that stretch.
- Gleyber Torres, 2B
- Kerry Carpenter, DH
- Wenceel Perez, RF
- Spencer Torkelson, 1B
- Riley Greene, LF
- Dillon Dingler, C
- Zach McKinstry, 3B
- Javier Baez, SS
- Parker Meadows, CF
- Steven Kwan, LF
- George Valera, RF
- Jose Ramirez, 3B
- Kyle Manzardo, DH
- Chase DeLauter, CF
- Gabriel Arias, SS
- Bo Naylor, C
- C.J. Kayfus, 1B
- Brayan Rocchio, 2B
Wild card series
Tuesday, Sept. 30
- Tigers 2, Guardians 1 (Detroit leads 1-0)
- Cubs 3, Padres 1 (Chicago leads 1-0)
- Red Sox 3, Yankees 1 (Boston leads 1-0)
- Dodgers 10, Reds 5 (Los Angeles leads 1-0)
Wednesday, Oct. 1
- Guardians 6, Tigers 1 (Series tied 1-1)
- Padres 3, Cubs 0 (Series tied 1-1)
- Yankees 4, Red Sox 3 (Series tied 1-1)
- Dodgers 8, Reds 4 (Los Angeles wins 2-0)
Thursday, Oct. 2
- Tigers at Guardians, Game 3: 3:08 p.m. ET, ABC
- Padres at Cubs, Game 3: 5:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Red Sox at Yankees, Game 3: 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
Division series
Saturday, Oct. 4
- Yankees/Red Sox at Blue Jays, Game 1, TBD
- Tigers/Guardians at Mariners, Game 1, TBD
- Cubs/Padres at Brewers, Game 1, TBS/truTV/HBO Max
- Dodgers at Phillies, Game 1: TBS/truTV/HBO Max
Detroit finished 87-75 to each the No. 6 wild card in the American League. The Tigers held a 14-game lead in the division on July 8 but went 28-41 after that and lost the AL Central lead during the final week of the season.
Cleveland was 88-74, rallying from a 15.5-game deficit in early July to win its second consecutive division title. The Guardians went 48-26 after losing to the Tigers on July 6, that included winning 18 of their final 22 games and taking five of six from the Tigers in the final two weeks.
