The key to Detroit's bullpen success: Unpredictability

DETROIT -- When the bullpen phone rings at Comerica Park, the chatter beyond the left-field wall falls silent. Heads turn.

Then, the guessing games begin.

“You can anticipate, but hearing the phone ring is like your alarm clock going off. It sobers everyone up, and everyone's conversation just stops,” lefty Tyler Holton said. “It’s like, ‘Who is it? Is it me?’ Once you hear your name, it’s like, ‘Alright, let’s go.’ It’s awesome; it’s a rush.”

• Mariners-Tigers ALDS Game 3 FAQ

That adrenaline and unpredictability are trademarks of the strategy behind the Tigers’ “pitching chaos,” with their relief corps concerned more with duty than titles. Where many teams have dedicated setup men, bulk guys and closers, Detroit has rewritten the instruction manual on bullpen composition.

Much like a defensive line on the football field, there’s rarely a buzz around the bullpen unless something goes wrong. And so, the less you hear the names Holton, Tommy Kahnle, Will Vest and the rest of the gang, the better.

All you really need to know is that Detroit’s relievers have had just about everything thrown at them this season, and they’ve delighted in returning the favor.

• Tigers return from road gauntlet with new fire, ALCS berth within reach

“That’s the makeup of our team. Anybody can come in at any time, on the offensive side and on the pitching staff,” Vest said. “And I think that’s what makes us good, because we’re unpredictable.”

Much of manager A.J. Hinch’s novel approach was born of necessity, when injuries decimated the starting rotation last summer, and forced him and his staff to get creative for nearly two months when piecing together a pitching strategy around one true starter -- eventual Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal -- and, well, everyone else.

It worked so well that Detroit has continued to employ an all-hands-on-deck approach to its relievers, and has often benefited from the flexibility it provides. Though everyone must be on board for the plan to succeed, Hinch has had little trouble getting his pitchers to buy in.

“I think it starts with the character of our players,” Hinch said. “The culture on this team is to offer something every day to get a win and not get caught up in perceived roles or expectations, or even the reasons why we do what we do.”

Sometimes that means Kahnle throws the ninth. Sometimes it’s Vest in the seventh, or Holton mopping up in the fifth. The only constant is unpredictability.

“You can pitch the ninth inning when you haven’t been a closer your whole life,” Hinch said. “You can get traded over here and find yourself in the fifth inning of a playoff game. … It’s part of the team concept that’s made us thrive.”

Vest knows about adjusting on the fly. In 2023, after nearly a full season in the Majors, he was returned to Triple-A. His wife had just given birth, and the family was suddenly living in a hotel room and out of their truck.

“It was tough,” Vest said. “But I’m thankful for it, because it really teaches you and makes you humble in this game. This game will humble you. And then whenever you do have success, you enjoy it that much more because of everything that you've been through.”

Holton, a former starter, was built for routine. But he’s learned to love the chaos.

“The situation is going to dictate the adrenaline,” he said. “... It’s a rush, and learning how to control your emotions in that type of environment takes time.”

That collective mindset has carried into the postseason. In Game 1 of the ALDS, Detroit used all eight available relievers -- Brant Hurter, Rafael Montero, Holton, Kahnle, Kyle Finnegan, Vest, and Keider Montero -- after Troy Melton, a hybrid arm, gave the Tigers four innings to start. The bullpen held firm after Melton’s exit, allowing just one run over its seven-plus frames to set the stage for an extra-innings win.

Skubal went seven innings in Game 2 on Sunday. The bullpen yielded one run in his wake, but back-to-back doubles off Finnegan in the eighth proved costly during Detroit’s 3-2 loss.

Across five postseason games in 2025, the Tigers’ relievers have worked 18 2/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs -- four of which came in one rough outing from Melton during the Wild Card Series. Despite the odds, the group has largely lived up to expectations, tightening games and giving a stagnant offense the chance to heat back up.

“[There are] no egos,” Vest said. “… We celebrate the wins because we know it took everybody, and everybody played a part in that game.”