Tigers drop season finale

It was going to be a game featuring the comeback of Jack Flaherty from the Injured List, but the starter was River Ryan , who is making a return from Tommy John surgery in late 2024. Ryan came to the Tigers in the Tarik Skubal trade and looked good in his one previous start for Detroit: three two-hit, run-free innings against Washington in which he walked one and whiffed three. Flaherty, meanwhile, has had an up-and-down season, and has been on the shelf with right flexor inflammation since July. But in his time on the mound in Detroit this season, walks have been a huge issue, which occasionally led to innings spiralling out of control.

Jared Jones , who also missed the 2025 season due to ulnar colateral ligament surgery — with a brace rather than ligament replacement (i.e., TJ) — took the mound for Pittsburgh. This was his twenty-first start for the Buccos this year, and his twentieth was sensational: he gave up one hit, walked none and struck out nine Cardinals on September 22. His eighteenth start also featured seven innings, one hit, and no runs, in a game in Chicago against the White Sox . Don't get me wrong, he's had some clunkers along the way (e.g. coughing up eight runs against the Mets in early August), but when he's on he can be nearly unhittable.

Pittsburgh wasted no time getting on the board: on the second pitch of the game, Konnor Griffin clubbed his sixth home run of the year for a 1-0 lead.