Kerry Carpenter buries Guardians getting in final word after Tigers advance to ALDS

The Detroit Tigers had heard all the noise. Their epic collapse, which handed the Cleveland Guardians the AL Central Crown, was bad enough. If they lost the winner-take-all matchup against those very same Guardians, the taunts would've been unbearable.

Yet the Tigers entered the ALWCS matchup against their hated rival with the right attitude. When Detroit clinched its Wild Card berth, manager AJ Hinch reminded everyone that once the playoffs begin, the records reset to 0-0 and everything is anew.

Translation: it won't matter that the Tigers backed into the playoffs after an historic collapse if they take care of business once the bright lights come on. Ace Tarik Skubal echoed that sentiment, reminding everyone that the record that mattered following his 14-strikeout masterpiece was 1-0.

However, Detroit's two Achilles heels— hitting with runners in scoring position and a questionable bullpen — reared their ugly heads in Game 2's disappointing loss. Falling in Game 3, especially after that embarrassing showing, would only serve to reignite the jeers, and the noise threatened to become unbearable for both the Tigers and their fans. With that serving as motivation, Detroit made sure to slam the door on Cleveland and silence the critics for good.

Kerry Carpenter twists the knife in the Guardians' back as the Tigers vanquish their rivals and prepare to take on Mariners

The Tigers can finally put to bed the collapse talk. No matter what happens from here on out, the specter of Cleveland overtaking them has been put the rest. Perhaps no one was more joyous about that than Kerry Carpenter.

Speaking during the postgame celebration, Carpenter said, "We hear a lot about 15 and a half games, but we're going to Seattle and they're not." Mic drop moment if there ever was one.

Carpenter is absolutely right. Cleveland can no longer torture Detroit with that fact because, at the end of the day, it didn't actually mean anything. Now the tables have turned, and the barbs can be cast in the other direction. Cleveland's insane second-half rally was all for naught.

Of course, Carpenter is no stranger to tormenting the Guardians. Last year, during the ALDS matchup between these two teams, the roles were reversed. Cleveland was the powerful club that was expected to be there, while Detroit was the upstart. Carpenter played a major role in that confrontation, smacking a dramatic three-run homer off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase with two outs in the ninth.

Detroit ultimately fell to Cleveland last postseason, though, so it must have been even sweeter to send the Guardians packing this time around, especially for Carpenter. In Game 3, he proved to be a menace, opening the scoring in the third with an RBI double, and drawing three walks (a rarity for him) to clog the bases in the 6-3 win.

Now all that matters is the Seattle Mariners, and the nightmare second-half spiral has finally been laid to rest.