Tigers Win ALDS: Detroit's Joaquin Benoit Bids Au Revoir to New York Yankees

There were heroes galore for the Detroit Tigers in their 3-2 Game 5 ALDS clincher at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night: Don Kelly, Delmon Young, Doug Fister, Victor Martinez, Max Scherzer and Jose Valverde. 

But the unsung—yet perhaps biggest—hero was Tigers setup man Joaquin Benoit. The Dominican righty tiptoed through a minefield of the Yankees’ most feared hitters in the seventh and eighth innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and preserving the Tigers’ slim lead in the eighth. 

Benoit had a sparkling regular season for Detroit. He threw 61 innings, allowing only 47 hits and fanning 63, while walking only 17.

Interestingly, he made just two appearances against the Yankees all season, both during the very first series in early April. 

That lack of firsthand familiarity may have been to Benoit’s advantage in the ALDS.

He did surrender a solo home run to Curtis Granderson in the Tigers’ 5-3 victory in Game 2, but he then retired the next three batters to set the stage for Valverde’s high-wire save; all of which was a mere prelude to Benoit’s Game 5 heroics.

Benoit entered the game in the seventh with a 3-1 lead and with Derek Jeter on at first. He promptly gave up a single to right by Granderson and then failed to scoop up Robinson Cano’s weak dribbler, loading the bases. 

Benoit then methodically—and we use that term literally, as he takes seemingly forever to deliver a pitch, sometimes pausing several seconds even after coming set—struck out A-Rod swinging and then Nick Swisher swinging, both with the bases loaded. Oh, and in between those two strikeouts, he walked in a run just to keep the Bronx fans on their feet. 

It was the first time that either A-Rod or Swisher had faced Benoit all season.

Benoit returned to the mound in the eighth, and after retiring Jorge Posada and Russell Martin, he gave up a single to Brent Gardner on a 1-2 pitch.

Next up was Jeter, he of the career .303 average with RISP. Benoit didn’t fool Jeter, but the Yankee icon’s blast to right field fell shy of the right field fence and landed in Don Kelly’s glove. 

An inning later, the Tigers had won the ALDS, and Benoit and his Tiger teammates celebrated and bid adieu to the Yankees, who were left to ponder another premature postseason exit.

Next up for Benoit: the Texas Rangers. Tigers fans can't wait.