Dan Dickerson’s radio call of Kerry Carpenter’s clutch home run is electric

The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the ALDS behind a monster three-run bomb from Kerry Carpenter in the ninth inning. It was a scoreless ballgame through eight innings, but Detroit strung together a pair of two-out singles off of All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase to set up Kerry Carpenter, their best hitter against right-handed pitching, for a heroic swing.

The 27-year-old lefty worked the count 2-2 before a rare hanging slider from Clase opened the window of opportunity. Carpenter seized the moment, laying a beautiful swing on the ball and watching it soar 400-plus feet over the right field wall.

He flipped his bat and, in his own words, "blacked out" on his way around the base paths.

To quote ESPN's Jeff Passan, this is "the biggest swing in Detroit in a decade." And that is not hyperbole. After a decade-long postseason drought, the ALDS now shifts to Motor City tied 1-1. The Tigers officially command home-field advantage with a rabid crowd ready and waiting for Wednesday's Game 3.

Want to get pumped up for what should be more great baseball? Take a listen to Dan Dickerson's crackling radio call of Carpenter's season-defining moonshot.

AND. IT'S. GOOOOONE!

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Kerry Carpenter takes Emmanuel Clase deep to win Game 2 and tie Tigers-Guardians series

Carpenter has been the Tigers' secret weapon all season. He doesn't start against southpaws, but he is as dominant a pinch-hitter as you'll find when a right-handed pitcher enters the game. He has been A.J. Hinch's go-to in tight spots and he tends to crush with runners in scoring position. Carpenter was retired with a foul territory popup in his first at-bat on Monday, but he found his swing for a ninth-inning showdown with Clase.

It cannot be overstated how improbable and impressive this swing was. Clase gave up 10 runs all season, including a six-month stretch in which he allowed just five total. He gave up three on a single pitch for Carpenter, who worked the count 2-2 and took advantage of Clase's rare blunder — a 94 MPH slider out over the middle of the plate, curving right into Carpenter's barrel.

The Tigers were held scoreless through eight innings, but a dominant start from Tarik Skubal (seven innings, three hits, eight K's, zero runs) set the stage for Detroit's last-second explosion. That game script won't work all the time — Skubal can only pitch once every few nights — but the appropriately nicknamed 'Gritty Tigs' took care of business on Monday. That's all that matters. Tackle the matter at hand, then worry about what's to come.

Comerica Park is sure to be bustling when this series recommences on Wednesday. The Tigers claimed a lot of momentum with this win, sucking the air out of a pumped Guardians crowd and quickly silencing doubts about their ability to push deep into October.

We should be in for a couple entertaining games in Detroit.