DETROIT — Doug Fister will get another chance against the Yankees tomorrow.
Fister won his last seven decisions for the Tigers in the regular season after coming from Seattle to turn around his year and spark Detroit, and he was scheduled to start Game 2 of the ALDS before relieving Justin Verlander after rain suspended Game 1.
Fister’s numbers ended up being ugly, as he gave up six runs in 4 2/3 innings in the 9-3 loss at Yankee Stadium, but he says he has learned from the experience.
“There was some good and bad, but we’ll tinker with things,” Fister said after the Tigers failed to close out the Yankees with a 10-1 loss in Game 4 last night at Comerica Park. “I know more about them now. This time, it’s just another start with normal rest.”
The 27-year-old was dominant after joining the Tigers, going 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA in 11 starts with Detroit, but now he’ll be forced to pitch in a deciding Game 5 in front of what is sure to be a raucous crowd in The Bronx.
The six earned runs he surrendered against the Yankees matched the most he had surrendered this season.
“It’s a great opportunity, but it’s just another game,” Fister said. “There’s no need to be tense. New York doesn’t get to any of us. It’s the same grass, the same dirt. You know the hitters and [have] seen them, but they’ve seen me. You make adjustments on the fly.”
His teammates are confident he can do just that.
“He’s going to go right at them,” Brandon Inge said. “We know that’s what he’s going to do.”
Those expectations will include outdueling Yankees starter Ivan Nova, who significantly outperformed Fister in their earlier meeting in the series.
Fister’s curve and slider made him especially valuable to the Tigers, and he’ll need both to be effective tomorrow for Detroit to have a realistic chance to move on to the ALCS.
“I’m not thinking about there being pressure,” Fister said.
The Tigers already got a solid start from a young pitcher at Yankee Stadium when Max Scherzer beat Freddy Garcia in a 5-3 Game 2 victory, so it’s far from impossible.
Fister was one of the American League’s top starters in the second half, topped perhaps only by Verlander. In his final seven starts of the regular season, Fister tossed at least seven innings and never allowed more than one earned run.
The Tigers hope he gets back to that form tomorrow.