Red Sox Edge Tigers in Thriller, Seal Wild-Card Spot Amid Detroit’s Late-Season Collapse
In a heart-pounding finish at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox clinched a coveted American League Wild-Card spot with a nail-biting 6-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers in extra innings. The game, which capped a dramatic final week of the 2025 regular season, showcased Boston’s resilience and capitalized on Detroit’s stunning late-season collapse, securing the Red Sox’s place in the postseason and leaving Tigers fans reeling.
The Red Sox entered the game knowing a win would lock in their playoff berth, while the Tigers, who had been the darlings of the AL Central for much of the season, were clinging to fading postseason hopes. Detroit’s improbable surge in August and early September had them poised to steal a Wild-Card spot, but their recent skid—losing eight of their last ten games—opened the door for Boston to pounce.
From the first pitch, the game was a seesaw battle. Boston’s ace, Brayan Bello, took the mound, delivering a solid six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out eight. His counterpart, Tigers’ fireballer Tarik Skubal, matched Bello’s intensity, scattering four hits over six innings but giving up a two-run homer to Rafael Devers in the third that put Boston up 2-1. The Fenway faithful erupted, sensing their team’s momentum building.
The Tigers, however, refused to go quietly. In the seventh, Detroit’s Riley Greene crushed a two-run double off Boston reliever Kenley Jansen, flipping the score to 3-2 in favor of the Tigers. The lead was short-lived, as Boston answered in the bottom of the eighth when Jarren Duran’s hustle double and a subsequent single by Triston Casas tied the game at 3-3. The tension at Fenway was palpable, with every pitch carrying playoff implications.
As the game stretched into extra innings, both teams traded blows. In the top of the 10th, Detroit’s Javier Báez drove in two runs with a clutch single, putting the Tigers ahead 5-3 and silencing the Boston crowd. But the Red Sox, embodying the grit that has defined their 2025 campaign, rallied in the bottom of the frame. With two outs and runners on, Connor Wong laced a double down the left-field line, scoring one run, and a wild pitch from Tigers closer Jason Foley allowed the tying run to scamper home. Moments later, rookie sensation Ceddanne Rafaela delivered the walk-off hit—a sharp single to center—scoring Wong and sending Fenway into a frenzy.
The victory capped a remarkable turnaround for Boston, who struggled early in the season but surged in the second half under manager Alex Cora’s steady hand. Devers, who finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs, credited the team’s chemistry. “We never gave up, not once,” he said postgame. “This is what Boston baseball is about—fighting until the last out.”
For Detroit, the loss was a microcosm of their late-season woes. After a torrid stretch that saw them climb to the top of the Wild-Card race, the Tigers faltered, plagued by bullpen meltdowns and untimely errors. Manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged the sting of the collapse. “We had it in our hands, and we let it slip,” he said. “Credit to Boston—they capitalized when it mattered.”
The Red Sox now turn their attention to the Wild-Card Series, where they’ll face a yet-to-be-determined opponent. With their lineup firing on all cylinders and a pitching staff finding its groove, Boston looks poised for a deep postseason run. For Tigers fans, the offseason will be a time for reflection on what might have been, as their team’s once-promising campaign ended in heartbreak.
