While all the attention of the night is rightfully being placed on Miguel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers did end their season with a victory. Behind four pitchers and a fifth-inning RBI double by Austin Jackson, the Tigers edged the Royals, 1-0.
Starter Max Scherzer -- yes, starter, the guy who wasn't supposed to take the mound showed up there after all -- went four innings, allowing three hits and going 75 pitches. He struck out three and walked two.
Drew Smyly got two outs in the fifth, then Luis Marte got the win for going 3 1/3 innings in the middle innings while giving up just two hits and two walks.
Luke Putkonen threw the final inning, earning his first career save after allowing just a walk.
The Tigers' offense, which was dialed back as manager Jim Leyland rested his starters after just a few innings of work, managed just a run on seven hits. Jackson doubled in Omar Infante for the game's only run. Jackson and Infante were the only Tigers to have multi-hit games, with two apiece.
The star of the night, Cabrera, went 0-for-2. He left the game with one out remaining in the bottom of the fourth to a standing ovation. Leyland left Cabrera in until Mike Trout took his final at-bat of the 2012 season. After that, the Triple Crown was all but decided, so Cabrera left the game.
The Tigers finished the season with an 88-74 record. They'll host Oakland in the first game of the ALDS at 6:07 p.m. ET Saturday at Comerica Park.