The Detroit Tigers have developed an elite closer tandem with relievers Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest, and the best part is neither guy cares about the title. The Tigers lead their division with the second-best record in the American League and are ninth in the MLB with 34 saves this season.
However, Detroit has used five different pitchers to earn those 34 saves, and the most recent combination has been Finnegan and Vest.
“It is nice to have selfless guys who are willing to do whatever it takes for the bigger group,” Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch said (h/t Detroit Free Press). “The fact that we have a group of players who are all-in has been our calling card for certainly the last 162-plus games, but it’s also a signature characteristic of this team.”
Vest leads the Tigers with 18 saves and has an impressive 2.55 ERA on the season. The 30-year-old reliever is in his fourth season with the Tigers and having the best year of his career.
The veteran reliever earned the Tigers’ closer role throughout the season, but knows his manager looks more at matchups and situations than giving one guy the title.
“Skip has always done that, where he is going to put us in favorable matchups,” Vest said (h/t Detroit Free Press).”Not necessarily an inning, per se. It’s more of what matchup is better, which is good for us.”
At the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Tigers acquired Washington Nationals’ closer Kyle Finnegan to add depth to the backend of their bullpen.
Finnegan spent the first five-plus years of his career with the Nationals before being traded and had collected 86 saves for the team since 2023.
However, rather than being frustrated by the Tigers trading for an additional closer, Vest was excited for the addition.
“I was pumped,” Vest said (h/t Detroit Free Press). “You have to have a good bullpen to win in October. We made a lot of pitching additions, which I think is going to be good for us down the stretch and then into October. We’re going to lean on him a lot going down the stretch.”
Similarly, when Finnegan got to Detroit, he knew the way Hinch managed his bullpen and was excited to help a team in playoff contention win in whatever role he was given.
“I’m just looking to answer the phone when my name is called,” Finnegan said, one day after the Tigers’ acquired him (h/t Detroit Free Press). “Whether that’s the fifth or the ninth, it doesn’t really matter to me. I’m just trying to help the team win.”
Will Vest is Top-20 in MLB in Saves this season (17)
The Detroit Tigers have two relief pitchers with 17+ saves this season 🔥
– Will Vest (17)
– Kyle Finnegan (23) pic.twitter.com/5aNzw6igRN— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) August 12, 2025
Since Finnegan arrived, he’s thrown 7.2 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and collected four saves. Vest has added 6.2 innings, pitching to a 2.70 ERA with nine strikeouts and two saves.
The Tigers have developed a dominating one-two punch to close out victories, and have put themselves in a prime position to make it back to the postseason in 2025.
“We have two capable guys who can get everybody in the league out, so I don’t have to always be that strategic about it,” Hinch said (h/t Detroit Free Press). “I have to let the game play out how it’s playing out.”
