CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Dillon Dingler homered, Wenceel Pérez drove in a pair of runs in a decisive four-run seventh inning and the Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 on Thursday to win the American League Wild Card Series.

The Tigers, who won the best-of-three series two games to one, advance to the American League Division Series for the second consecutive season, both times clinching on the road. They will face the second-seeded Seattle Mariners, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday. The AL West champion Mariners won four of the six regular-season meetings with the Tigers, who entered the playoffs as the third wild card.

In a game that began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening at Progressive Field, Detroit broke open a tight contest with a four-run rally in the seventh inning to seize control.

The Tigers struck first in the third inning against Cleveland starter Joey Cantillo. Parker Meadows led off with a single and advanced to third on a single by Gleyber Torres. Kerry Carpenter then hit a ground ball that was deflected by first baseman C.J. Kayfus, allowing Meadows to score.

Cleveland answered in the fourth against Detroit starter Jack Flaherty. George Valera doubled and scored on a single by José Ramírez, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Dingler provided a critical insurance run in the sixth, launching a solo home run to center field off reliever Slade Cecconi to extend Detroit’s lead to 3-1.

The game was put out of reach in the seventh. Javier Báez doubled and advanced to third on a bunt single by Parker Meadows. After a groundout moved Meadows to second, the Guardians intentionally walked Carpenter to load the bases. Pérez then delivered the key blow, lining a single to right field that scored both Báez and Meadows. Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene followed with run-scoring singles to cap the four-run outburst and give the Tigers a 6-1 lead.

Cleveland mounted a threat in the eighth, scoring two unearned runs. Brayan Rocchio singled and Steven Kwan doubled, putting runners on second and third. After a strikeout, Ramírez reached on a missed catch error by pitcher Will Vest, allowing both runners to score. The play was initially ruled an out at first, but a Tigers challenge overturned the call. Ramírez was later thrown out trying to advance to second on the play.

Vest retired the side in order in the ninth to secure the series victory.

Kyle Finnegan earned the win for Detroit with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Cantillo took the loss for Cleveland, allowing one run on two hits over 2 2/3 innings. Flaherty was strong in his start for the Tigers, yielding one run on three hits while striking out four in 4 2/3 innings.

The Tigers collected 10 hits to the Guardians’ six. The game took 2 hours, 50 minutes to complete and was played in front of an announced attendance of 29,891.

Both teams finished the regular season with identical 89-76 records. The Tigers now move on, while the Guardians’ season comes to an end.