CLEVELAND — The third time was certainly the charm for Tarik Skubal, and not even the chaos that is Guards Ball could knock him down this time.

The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner spun a 14-strikeout masterpiece as the Tigers defeated the Guardians 2-1 Tuesday in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. After surrendering the AL Central Division title to Cleveland in the final week of the regular season, Detroit now finds itself on the brink of burying its demons and advancing in the playoffs with a win in Game 2 tomorrow.

It was Skubal's third start against the Guards in as many weeks, and though he pitched well the previous two outings, he found himself on the wrong end both times thanks to Cleveland's equally strong hurlers and its offensive brand of death by a thousand pap

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