The Detroit Tigers lost the series to the Philadelphia Phillies coming off the trade deadline. But the series finale, tied at one win apiece, was a great game to watch.
Not only did the Phillies and Tigers combine for some remarkable defense, especially by Riley Greene, but both starting pitchers, Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies and trade pickup Charlie Morton of the Tigers, looked incredible.
As Buster Olney of ESPN reports, the incredible Tigers-Phillies matchup on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball drew record ratings of 2.03 million, or 35 percent better than last year’s rating.
A 2.03 million rating for the Sunday Night Tigers-Phillies game, 35% over last year’s rating. That was a game worthy of a great rating — great pitching with Sanchez vs. Morton, extraordinary defense by both teams, playoff atmosphere, the Duran entrance.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 5, 2025
The matchup between Morton and Sanchez was incredible, with both pitchers going deep into the game and striking out six batters each. While Sanchez went through eight innings, Morton made it through six.
He was on the hook for the loss, but his performance was incredible, as he allowed just one run all night long. If it weren’t for the other starter’s dominance, the new Tigers pitcher wouldn’t have notched a loss in his Tigers debut.
It was a 2-0 loss for the Tigers, but the pitching from Philadelphia, including new closer Jhoan Duran, was too good to overcome. But, thanks to the incredible defense from Greene in left field, the Tigers were still in the game the entire time.
MORE: Tigers lost out to Mets on trade for Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley
With a postseason atmosphere in Philadelphia, this was a great opportunity for the Tigers to have before the actual postseason begins. They’ll likely face similar atmospheres in the postseason.
Getting this opportunity to face such a raucous crowd now is a good way to prepare for the postseason. For a young team like Detroit, which doesn’t have a lot of postseason experience, playing in such environments is great practice.
Between the atmosphere, the pitching duel, incredible defense, and with it on national TV, this game had the makings of a playoff game. Detroit will likely have plenty of those this postseason, as they’re poised to make the playoffs as a top team in the AL.
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