SEATTLE -- A.J. Hinch has been here before.
That’s not a reference to T-Mobile Park, though the Tigers were just here last weekend. It’s a reference to a win-or-go-home playoff game.
While the Tigers will send Tarik Skubal to the mound in Game 5 of a Division Series for a second straight year, Hinch’s history with these types of games goes much deeper.
His managerial tenure with the Astros was dotted with deciding games in the postseason, even before they became champions. He has learned the urgency with which moves are made, what happens when a season is on the line and how, no matter how well-planned moves can be, these games always come with randomness that can swing one way or another.
“I think experience always helps,” Hinch told reporters on Thursday in Seattle when asked about experience, “because you can reflect back on the things you've done well, maybe some things you wish you hadn't done or the nerves that come with it. But I actually think it's good to be nervous. It's good to be excited.
“I guess there's a small consolation prize of knowing the stress that's coming, you know, but sometimes it's kind of nice to be naive and not know and just not be able to breathe during the moment and have to deal with it in real time.
“So I don't know that it helps you win as much as it helps you keep things in perspective. The 27 outs are going to be played. The game is going to come, and there's going to be a lot of peaks and a few valleys for both teams and things like that that you know are going to happen.”
Hinch’s perspective comes from being on both sides of these games. Here’s a look at Hinch’s history with win-or-go-home games:
2015 AL Wild Card Game: Astros 3, Yankees 0
Hinch’s first postseason game was win or go home, because the Wild Card was a one-game scenario. This one followed a more traditional script than his later contests: Dallas Keuchel tossed six scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium, and Tony Sipp, Will Harris and Luke Gregerson tossed an inning each. Colby Rasmus and Carlos Gomez homered off Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka. The only real strategy was Jonathan Villar pinch-running for Chris Carter to score the third run on a Jose Altuve single in the seventh inning.
2015 ALDS Game 5: Royals 7, Astros 2
The Astros had a 2-1 series lead and were six outs away from eliminating the eventual world champions in Game 4 before the Royals rallied for seven runs over the final two innings. The Astros again took an early lead in Game 5 before a three-run fifth off Collin McHugh and Mike Fiers put Kansas City ahead for good. Game 3 winner Keuchel pitched the eighth on two days’ rest and gave up a three-run homer to Kendrys Morales.
2017 ALCS Game 7: Astros 4, Yankees 0
The legend of Charlie Morton began here, with five scoreless innings. Lance McCullers Jr., pitching on three days’ rest after starting Game 4, tossed the final four innings for his only Major League save. No pinch-hitters, just solo homers from Evan Gattis and Altuve and a two-run double from Brian McCann.
2017 World Series Game 7: Astros 5, Dodgers 1
Here’s where Hinch’s strategic magic began to take shape, including an early form of pitching chaos. McCullers tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the start before a bullpen procession took over, led by Brad Peacock. Morton, pitching on three days’ rest, tossed the final four innings for the save, protecting a lead built on five early runs.
2019 ALDS Game 5: Astros 6, Rays 1
The Astros missed two chances to end the series early, but took command of this game early with a four-run first inning off Tyler Glasnow. While the Rays used nine different pitchers, the Astros rode eight strong innings and 10 strikeouts from Gerrit Cole.
2019 World Series: Nationals 6, Astros 2
Hinch’s final game as the Astros’ manager was a heartbreaker, with Washington scoring six unanswered runs over the final three innings. Anthony Rendon’s home run and a Juan Soto walk chased starter Zack Greinke with one out in the seventh, but Howie Kendrick’s two-run homer off Will Harris put the Nats up for good.
2024 ALDS: Guardians 7, Tigers 3
The Tigers rode Skubal and pitching chaos to the brink of an ALCS berth, but Guardians manager Stephen Vogt used pitching chaos against Hinch, utilizing seven relievers after Matthew Boyd’s two scoreless innings. Kerry Carpenter, playing through a hamstring injury suffered just two days earlier, stepped off the bench for a pinch-hit RBI single off Andrew Walters to give Detroit a 1-0 lead in the fifth, but Lane Thomas’ grand slam off Skubal put Cleveland up for good in the bottom of the inning.
Once Skubal left, Hinch turned to his three core relievers -- Will Vest, Tyler Holton and Beau Brieske -- to try to keep the Tigers in it. A year later, Vest and Holton are part of the relief core alongside Kyle Finnegan, all of whom could appear when (or if) Skubal exits.