A pair of home runs in the bottom of the eighth secured the win as the Guardians evened the series against the Tigers.

In the early hours today, the Cleveland Guardians scored a five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning, powered by consecutive homers from Brayan Rocchio and Bo Naylor, to defeat the Detroit Tigers 6-1 at home and tie the series 1-1. The decisive Game 3 will take place tomorrow.

With one out in the bottom of the first, George Valera capitalized on a misplaced four-seam fastball from Tigers’ All-Star right-hander Casey Mize, blasting a solo homer to give the Guardians an early lead. In the top of the fourth, with two outs and the bases loaded, Javier Báez delivered a clutch hit to even the score for the visitors, but Zach McKinstry was tagged out trying to advance to third base, preventing further runs for the Guardians.

The Tigers left runners stranded in scoring position from the fifth through the eighth innings and ultimately paid the price in the bottom of the eighth. Rookie right-hander Troy Melton, 24, who posted a 3-2 record and a 2.76 ERA during the regular season, gave up a solo homer to Brayan Rocchio with one out. Then, Steven Kwan and pinch-hitter Daniel Schneemann followed with back-to-back doubles, adding another run. After Jose Ramirez was intentionally walked to load the bases, Melton was pulled from the game.

Brant Hurter, a sophomore left-hander who appeared in two postseason games last year pitching five scoreless innings and earning one win, came in and induced a groundout. However, the Guardians advanced runners to second and third base. After a seven-pitch duel with Bo Naylor, Hurter threw a slider that Naylor drove to right field for a three-run homer. This was the 25-year-old catcher’s first career postseason home run in 12 games and 27 plate appearances, delivering a crushing blow to the Tigers.

Guardians’ sophomore closer Cade Smith entered early in the top of the eighth with two outs and a runner on second to extinguish the threat and continued pitching in the ninth. Although he issued a walk with one out and then faced a bases-loaded situation due to a throwing error by Rocchio at second base, Dillon Dingler hit a ground ball to first base and was retired, allowing Smith to finish safely. He pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, improving his flawless postseason record to 2-0 with one save.

Game 3 of the series will also be held at Progressive Field, starting at 1 a.m. Beijing time tomorrow. The Guardians will send 26-year-old right-hander Slade Cecconi to the mound, who has started 23 games this season pitching 132 innings with a 7-7 record and a 4.30 ERA. The Tigers will counter with Jack Flaherty, who has made 31 starts this year totaling 161 innings, holding an 8-15 record and a 4.64 ERA, and was a member of last year’s Los Angeles Dodgers World Series team.