CLEVELAND — Tarik Skubal tied a franchise postseason record with 14 strikeouts and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 on Tuesday in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series.

Will Vest recorded the final four outs for Detroit, surviving a tense ninth inning after Cleveland star Jose Ramirez got hung up between third base and home for the second out.

The Tigers, who struggled down the stretch, allowing Cleveland to secure the AL Central title, can advance to the division series round for the second straight year with a win Wednesday.

“It means a lot to take the ball in Game 1,” Skubal said. “To have the trust in our whole organization, it means a lot. And it doesn’t really matter how we got here. We’re up 1-0 in a best of three.”

Detroit scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning when Zach McKinstry‘s safety squeeze scored Riley Greene from third.

Ramirez led off the ninth with an infield single and advanced to third when shortstop Javier Baez threw wide of first base. Vest struck out pinch-hitter George Valera, then Kyle Manzardo hit a grounder to Vest. Ramirez broke for home but was cut off by Vest, who chased him down and tagged him out.

“That ball’s two feet either way, he scores,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “It just happened to go right back to Vest. So we play aggressive. We always do. We run the bases aggressive. I wouldn’t play that any other way.”

C.J. Kayfus then hit a flyout to Baez in shallow left to end it.

Skubal, who is favored to win his second straight AL Cy Young Award, set a career high for strikeouts. He was dominant and unfazed as he pitched on the same mound where one week ago, he threw a 99 mph fastball that struck Cleveland designated hitter David Fry in the nose and face during the sixth inning.

“I thought my outing was coming to a close,” Skubal said when asked about being allowed to continue on into the eighth inning. “But I was ready to go back out there. I’m never going to take myself out of a game, and I don’t ever really want the handshake.”

The right-hander went 7 2/3 innings and threw 107 pitches, one off his career high, including 73 strikes. He allowed one run on only three hits, with two being infield singles, and walked three. His fastball averaged 99.1 mph, 1.6 mph above his season average.

Skubal outdueled Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, who was just as effective but hurt by a pair of Guardians errors. Williams allowed two unearned runs in six-plus innings on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.

“I was just worried about doing my best to execute each pitch,” Skubal said, “and just do what makes me a good pitcher, and that’s getting ahead, and getting guys into leverage.”

Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kerry Carpenter scored on Spencer Torkelson’s two-out bloop single to left field. Carpenter got aboard on a base hit to right but advanced to second on a fielding error by Johnathan Rodriguez.

The Guardians finally got to Skubal in the fourth by not having a ball leave the infield.

Angel Martinez hit a slow grounder between Skubal and second baseman Gleyber Torres to lead off the inning. He advanced to second on Ramírez’s walk.

With two outs and runners on first and second, Gabriel Arias hit a high chopper over Skubal. The ball landed on the infield grass between the mound and second base. Skubal fielded the ball as Martinez rounded third. Martinez’s left hand touched the plate before Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler applied the tag.

Martinez was originally ruled out on the head-first slide, but it was overturned by instant replay to tie the game at 1-1.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ron Washington, who missed the majority of the 2025 season after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery, will not be returning as manager of the Los Angeles Angels in 2026, he told The Athletic on Tuesday.

Interim manager Ray Montgomery also will not get the full-time manager role in 2026, a source confirmed to ESPN, as the Angels will search for their sixth manager in nine years.

Washington told The Athletic that general manager Perry Minasian told him that the team’s decision to not pick up his contract option was based on the team’s performance — the Angels went 36-38 prior to him leaving — rather than the manager’s health.

“You know, when you’re a competitor, and you’re in charge, none of that stuff comes into play,” Washington told The Athletic. “Sometimes you’ve got to make chicken salad out of chicken s—.

“I have to accept that. I can’t go back to argue with them to try and tell them different when they’ve made a decision. … We were starting to perform better.”

Washington told The Athletic that he never had the opportunity to talk about the team’s decision with Angels owner Arte Moreno.

The Angels finished with a 72-90 record, accounting for their 10th consecutive losing season. They’ve made the playoffs just once since 2009.

After Mike Scioscia stepped down at the end of the 2018 season, ending a 19-year run that included the franchise’s only World Series championship, the Angels went through Brad Ausmus, Joe Maddon and Phil Nevin as managers over a five-year stretch. None produced more than 77 wins.

Washington, the former Texas Rangers manager and highly regarded infield instructor, was brought in ahead of the 2024 season in hopes that he could mentor a young nucleus headlined by Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe, Nolan Schanuel and Jo Adell. However, the team finished with a franchise-record 99 losses.

The 2025 team showed some promise but wound up finishing last in the American League West for the second straight year, 25½ games out of first.

“I think I had the team going in the right direction, I really did,” Washington told The Athletic. “And it was just too bad that my health came into play. There’s nothing that I can do about that.

“It was my team. I think the team took on my personality. We were definitely showing that. In this business, this is the kind of stuff that happens to you. When everything goes not the way people wanted, you take the blame for it. And I’m OK.”

Washington, who turns 74 in April, was the oldest manager in the majors this past season and last managed a game on June 19, when he left the Angels after experiencing shortness of breath and appearing fatigued during a four-game series against the New York Yankees.

He eventually underwent quadruple-bypass surgery but stressed last month that he was in good health and wanted to return as the Angels’ manager in 2026.

“What happened to me saved my life,” Washington said earlier this season, adding that he has quit smoking, changed his eating habits and is sleeping better.

Overall, Washington was 99-137 in two seasons with Los Angeles.

Montgomery’s option also will not be picked up. The rest of the Angels’ coaching staff also had 2026 options, but their status is not yet known.

Perry Minasian, who just finished his fifth season as the Angels’ general manager, is under contract through 2026, though the team has not made a formal announcement about his status.

Albert Pujols and Torii Hunter, two decorated former Angels who currently serve as special assistants with the team, are considered strong candidates to become the next manager — unless owner Arte Moreno seeks someone with more experience.

Washington was the winningest manager in Rangers history, compiling a 664-611 record from 2007 to 2014. He led them to their first two World Series appearances, in 2010 and 2011. After initially returning to the Athletics organization for the 2015 and 2016 campaigns, Washington joined the Atlanta Braves‘ staff from 2017 to 2023 and was part of their 2021 World Series championship team.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A group led by Florida-based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski closed on its purchase of the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, finalizing the sale of the team from former owner Stuart Sternberg.

Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved the transaction last week. The price was not disclosed.

“It’s an incredible honor to become the stewards of the Tampa Bay Rays, a franchise with a proud history and a bright future,” Zalupski said in a statement. “We’re all energized by the responsibility to serve Rays fans everywhere and this great game. … We will work hard to earn the respect and confidence of our fans and new MLB partners, and we are excited about the upcoming challenge to deliver a world-class experience on and off the field.”

Zalupski’s group, which also includes Bill Cosgrove and Ken Babby, is expected to restart the search for a new ballpark. The Rays in March withdrew from a $1.3 billion project to construct a new ballpark adjacent to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, citing a hurricane and delays that likely drove up the proposal’s cost.

“Major League Baseball is pleased to welcome Patrick and his partners to the ownership ranks,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Their collective experience and passion for the game will serve the Rays well as they enter this exciting new chapter.”

Sternberg took control of the team from founding owner Vince Naimoli in November 2005 and rebranded it the Rays from the Devil Rays after the 2007 season. The Rays won AL East titles in 2008, 2010, 2020 and 2021 and twice reached the World Series, losing to Philadelphia in 2008 and to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.