Vierling's 'perfectly placed' leaping snag halts Guards' rally 

DETROIT -- Matt Vierling leapt into the air, snagging a Statcast-projected 102 mph line drive off the bat of David Fry, robbing the Guardians’ designated hitter of a base hit and preventing at least one run from coming around to score.

The batted ball had an expected batting average of .800, but Vierling’s heroics kept the Tigers' three-run lead intact to end the seventh inning in Detroit’s 3-0 win over Cleveland in Game 3 of the American League Division Series at Comerica Park. The win gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

After he landed, Vierling let out a scream and a fist pump before making his way back to the Tigers’ dugout in front of the roaring crowd.

"I just reacted to it,” Vierling said. “I think somebody asked me what was going through my head, and I didn't have time for anything to go through my head. It was just hit hard, I had to go up and make a stab with my glove, and I was able to get to it."

After Beau Brieske recorded a strikeout to start the seventh, Sean Guenther replaced him and allowed a two-out walk to Brayan Rocchio and a Steven Kwan single to put runners on first and second. Will Vest entered and got ahead 1-2, before Fry's laser.

Vierling’s catch had big implications. It’s no secret that the Tigers were the underdogs entering the series against a Cleveland club that won the AL Central over Detroit. But the Tigers are very much in the driver’s seat right now, and Vierling is more than happy to be part of it.

"[Vierling] was perfectly placed there,” said Guardians outfielder Will Brennan. “So shout out to their defense, I guess. David had a really good at-bat. That's all you can really do in that situation -- is hit a ball really, really hard and make them make the play."

Fry added: "I hit it pretty good and unfortunately [it] just went right to Vierling. He made a good play. But yeah, [I] was hoping that one would get down."

Entering the 2024 Division Series, best-of-five postseason series that have been tied 1-1 have seen the team winning Game 3 go on to take the series 45 of 62 times (73%). Under the current 2-2-1 format, teams leading 2-1 and playing Game 4 at home had taken the series 25 of 31 times (81%). Of those 25 series victories, 18 came at home in Game 4.

A versatile defender, Vierling played almost entirely outfield all summer, logging 98 games between the three spots. When outfielder Wenceel Pérez returned from the injured list in September, Vierling returned to the dirt, where he played 51 games at third base this year.

Ever the professional, Vierling doesn’t care where he’s at on the field. The 28-year-old, now with his second team, just wants to help the Tigers win. Despite spending much of the season in the outfield, he was able to quickly adjust to the hot corner whenever the Tigers needed him to.

“And he may play right field tomorrow, which is as far away from where he played today as you can get. And he'll just accept the assignment and go and do his part,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. “I love Matt Vierling. And as a guy who has played in the World Series, has played on good teams, understands the little things that turn into big things, he's a real guiding light to some of our players' growth.”

Vierling also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning, his second RBI this postseason.

“He's batting third,” Hinch said. “Old school or new school, that's a really important spot. I don't even know if he's unsung because I think everybody around Detroit and everybody in our clubhouse and the coaching room and in my office knows what he brings to the table. He's a winning player, and I've said that for a while now -- how he contributes to wins on so many levels.”