Paul Sancya/AP - In the biggest start of his young career,Tigers starter Doug Fister lifted the Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers, allowing two runs in 7 1 / 3 innings in Game 3 of the ALCS on Tuesday at Comerica Park in Detroit.
DETROIT — It was still late evening Tuesday in Merced, Calif., when Doug Fister climbed the mound at Comerica Park. The firefighters packed the day room inside the Merced Fire Department, huddling in front of the television, rooting for the son of one of their own.
“Oh, yeah, the guys are glued to the playoffs,” Merced Fire Chief Mike McLaughlin said over the phone Tuesday night, a few minutes before first pitch.
Fister carried the full weight of the Detroit Tigers’ season. A loss meant the brink of elimination. A win meant a renewed American League Championship Series. He stayed calm. Fister’s father, Larry Fister, a Merced cop and firefighter for more than 30 years, long ago gave him perspective on pressure.
In the biggest start of his young career, Fister lifted the Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers, allowing two runs in 71 / 3 innings as the Tigers returned home and sliced their deficit in the series to 2-1. Miguel Cabrera led the hurting Detroit offense with an RBI double and a solo home run while Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta each added solo homers.
The Tigers ensured they would not be swept and instead, after two close losses in Texas, announced they may make it a series yet.
“We’ve been doing this the whole year,” Tigers Manager Jim Leyland said. “We’re either going to win this thing or go down with what we’ve got.”
The Tigers can thank Fister, the 27-year-old, 6-foot-8 sinkerballer they acquired in a midseason trade from the Seattle Mariners. He struck out three, walked none and faced five batters over the minimum. Fister allowed only one runner past second base after the first three hitters he faced singled.
As ever, Fister relied on his father’s influence on the mound. The Tigers traded for Fister in part because they believed he could thrive in moments like Tuesday night, and he can because of his background and his father.
“He was always stressing, what you do during practice is what you do under pressure situations,” Fister said. “If you’re in stressful situations, you have to stay calm and rely on what you’re trained. That’s what you revert back to. That’s something that has always stuck in my mind. I tried to apply it no matter what situation I’m in.”
Before the Tigers traded for Fister at the deadline, General Manager Dave Dombrowski said, front office executives and coaches called people they knew around the game and asked about Fister. They wanted to know if he could handle the pressure of a pennant chase and the postseason. Invariably, the answer was yes.
“He’s got the perfect mentality for this,” said reliever David Pauley, who came to the Tigers with Fister. “He’s the type of guy, very little bothers him. Whatever the situation, whatever the score is, he knows what his game plan is. He rarely differs from that.”
Fister went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA following his arrival. With his team’s season on the brink Tuesday, Fister responded with the best starting pitching performance yet in the ALCS. In his home town, they cheered him on. Larry Fister was a Merced policeman for 13 years, then switched to the fire department, where he rose to the rank of captain, for the next 20.
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