The chess match of baseball strategy took center stage on Tuesday night when Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch informed the Cleveland Guardians that rookie right-hander Keider Montero would start Game 3 on Wednesday. But that was just the opening move in a game filled with tactical surprises. What followed was a day of cat-and-mouse, filled with strategic decisions, quick changes, and unexpected twists that make baseball in October so thrilling.
Wednesday morning brought the next step in the chess match when the Guardians unveiled their lineup—one that they’d typically roll out against a right-handed pitcher. Everyone thought the stage was set. Even Montero himself prepared like it was going to be just another routine start. He went through his pre-game warmup, laser-focused, getting ready to do his thing on the mound.
And then the plot twist came.
After an extensive warmup and preparation, Montero threw just six pitches. That's right—six. It wasn't because he was off his game or struggling; it was all part of the plan. Hinch and his staff had something else up their sleeve. As soon as Montero completed his first inning, the Tigers made a sharp pivot to left-handed pitcher Brant Hurter. Cue the Guardians’ response. The chess match continued.
In a blink, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt countered Hinch’s move by pulling Will Brennan for pinch-hitter Jhonkensy Noel in the second inning before Brennan even had a chance to take a swing. Talk about swift! But it didn’t stop there. In the third inning, David Fry pinch-hit for Kyle Manzardo. Both teams were playing a game within the game—constantly adjusting, reacting, and trying to create favorable matchups at every turn.
In playoff baseball, the usual rules? Throw them out the window! This is the time of year when every decision counts, and even the smallest moves can make the biggest impact. The Tigers walked Guardians star José Ramirez in the top of the third inning, while the Guardians returned the favor by walking Tigers slugger Kerry Carpenter in the bottom half. The mind games were in full swing, and both managers were pulling out all the stops to give their teams any edge they could find.
"The aggressiveness out of the manager’s chair has only increased over the years," Hinch said, acknowledging just how much these in-game tactics have evolved. Managers aren’t just managing—they’re playing a game of chess, anticipating the next move, countering every decision, and seizing every opportunity.
But let’s not forget that the Guardians weren't exactly caught off guard by the Tigers' quick switcheroo. In fact, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt admitted that the team fully expected the Tigers to make a move like this. "Nothing that happened today caught us off guard," Vogt said. "We were prepared for all of it. We took our shots when we had the opportunity to put some runs up, placed some bets, and then just didn’t come through."
That’s the thing about playoff baseball—it’s not just about reacting; it’s about being ready for the unexpected. And even though the Guardians had their plan, sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way you hoped. That’s the beauty of the postseason: It’s unpredictable, and even the best-laid plans can go sideways.
For Hinch, the goal was clear—create favorable matchups at every opportunity. He wasn’t surprised when the Guardians countered early in the game, pulling out their own moves to try to get an edge. "I understand," Hinch said. "We’re trying to move our players around and put them in good positions. So are they. You need your guy to beat their guy in those moments."
But here’s where it gets even more interesting. One of the quirks of the Tigers' plan was that Montero wasn’t informed of this strategy beforehand. He went into the game believing he was going to pitch a traditional start. After cruising through a 1-2-3 first inning on just six pitches, Montero was pulled aside by Hinch. The message? “You did a hell of a job.” And to ensure that nothing was lost in translation, third base coach Joey Cora was brought in to make sure the message got through in Spanish.
Hinch’s appreciation for Montero’s performance was clear. "Three up, three down against the top of that lineup, including a couple of All-Stars, is a great accomplishment," Hinch said. "He’s built to start and go extended (innings). That just wasn’t the route we were going to go today. I wanted to tell him why and tell him he did a great job."
The Tigers’ ability to adapt and move pieces around the board made life a little easier for Hinch as the game progressed. After Hurter worked through 3 1/3 innings, right-hander Beau Brieske took over and was nothing short of dominant, retiring all three batters he faced and racking up six strikeouts. Talk about clutch!
The rest of the game flowed just like a well-rehearsed play. When the Guardians’ lineup turned over to a string of left-handed hitters, Hinch sent in southpaw Sean Guenther to handle the situation. Right-hander Will Vest took care of the heart of the order, and then lefty Tyler Holton closed the game by mowing through another pocket of lefty bats.
As Hinch pointed out, this wasn’t new territory for his players. "We’ve been doing this for a couple of months," he said. "Our guys did an incredible job of getting up, getting ready, and getting their hitters out, almost perfectly." That kind of preparation and execution isn’t easy, but the Tigers made it look that way.
In playoff baseball, there’s no such thing as sticking to the script. You have to be ready to adjust on the fly, make quick decisions, and, most importantly, trust your players to execute when it matters most. This game, filled with tactical moves and rapid adjustments, showcased just how thrilling playoff baseball can be. It’s not just about what happens between the white lines; it’s about the chess match that happens behind the scenes, where every move could tip the balance in favor of victory.
So, while the final score might tell one story, the true excitement of this game lay in the decisions, the counters, and the relentless pursuit of the perfect matchup. And that’s what makes playoff baseball so exhilarating—it’s a chess match where every piece matters, and one brilliant move can make all the difference.
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