Talk about traveling a long and winding road. Four thousand and 20 days, 179 games and four teams since he last pitched in a playoff game, Alex Cobb will be on the mound as the starting pitcher Oct. 9 when the Guardians face the Tigers at 3:08 p.m. in Detroit in Game 3 of the best-of-five ALDS. The series is tied, 1-1. Following six seasons with the Rays (he did not pitch in 2015 because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery), Cobb pitched for the Orioles, Angels and Giants before the Guardians acquired him from San Francisco at the trade deadline this summer. Injuries limited him to three starts with Cleveland — Aug. 9, 14 and Sept. 1. He was on the injured list twice with the Guardians, most recently when a blood blister developed on the middle finger of his right (throwing) hand in the Sept. 1 outing against the Pirates. Fixing his finger in time for the playoffs with the help of trainers and doctors was a race against time. Cobb knew what to expect because he has dealt with blisters on and off throughout his career. “There’s laser treatment, skin toughening stuff, anything to promote healing,” Cobb said. “I’ve done it all, all day, every day, it feels like.” The 2013 season was memorable for the Cleveland baseball team known as the Indians at the time. Terry Francona was in his first year managing the Indians after guiding the Red Sox to two World Series titles. He turned a 68-94 2012 team into one that finished 92-70 and earned a wild-card playoff spot a year later. The wild-card playoff was one-and-done back then. Cobb, who turned 37 on Oct. 7, got the start for the Rays. He pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and got credit for Tampa Bay’s 4-0 victory. He pitched one game against Boston in the ALDS that year and got a no decision. “Is it 11 years?,” Cobb said during an Oct. 7 news conference at Progressive Field. “So like on the one hand it feels like it’s flown by, and then you look back at all the things that have happened, and it feels like a really long time. “But I vividly remember after the celebration here in that wild-card game, just looking around and just thinking I can’t wait to be back in this moment.” The Guardians beat the Tigers, 7-0, in the ALDS opener Oct. 5. The Tigers got even by beating the Guardians, 3-0, on Oct. 7. The Guardians scored five runs in the first inning and two in the sixth in the game they won. The Tigers scored all three runs in the ninth inning of the game they won. The Tigers are going with an as-yet-unannounced opener for Game 3. They used that strategy in Game 1. Tyler Holton gave up all five runs in the first without recording an out before he was yanked by Manager A.J. Hinch. Winning Game 3 is critical for the Guardians. They do not want the series to reach a fifth game, because that would mean facing Tigers ace Tarik Skubal again. Skubal, 18-4 in the regular season, pitched seven shutout innings against the Guardians in Game 2. Guardians at Tigers What: ALDS, Game 3; series tied, 1-1 When: 3:08 p.m., Oct. 9 Where: Comerica Park, Detroit Pitchers: Guardians — Alex Cobb (2-1, 2.76 ERA regular season); Tigers — TBA TV: TBS Radio: WTAM AM-1100, WMMS-FM 100.7, WARF-AM 1350