CLEVELAND -- It was just after the hitters’ meeting prior to Game 1 when Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler got his first pregame visual of Tarik Skubal .

Normally, Dingler explained, Skubal has a bit of a laid-back, joking vibe to him early in the pregame process, then he locks in his more intense side as first pitch approaches. But this time, Dingler said, Skubal was all business from the beginning.

“As soon as he walked in the door today, I saw the intensity,” Dingler said, “and I think that directly correlated to the performance out there.”

The performance in the Tigers’ 2-1 win that gave them a 1-0 edge in this best-of-three American League Wild Card Series was truly special.

Yes, the Guardians dinked their way to another run off Skubal in another weird inning, not unlike the w

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