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Playoffs! Tigers’ ride has been remarkable in the MLB postseason

Vaseline September 28, 2024

Detroit — To steal a line from former Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, who, by the way, was captain of the last championship team in this city: “If it ain’t hard, it ain’t good.”

Everything about what the Tigers have done over the last seven weeks has been difficult. Some would have thought it impossible, certainly unlikely. But as the sold-out crowd of 44,435 at Comerica Park on Friday night will happily testify, it was that good.

The Tigers, who were left for dead at the trade deadline eight games under .500 on August 10, will play postseason baseball for the first time since 2014.

The festive crowd was on its feet from the seventh inning as the Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-1 to secure a spot in the American League Wild Card Series.

The win eliminated the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers open the postseason on Tuesday in Houston or Baltimore. The win also relegated the White Sox to a dubious place in baseball history. It was their 121st loss of the season, surpassing the 1962 Mets for baseball ineptitude.

“We feel really good about the way we’re doing, not just what we’re doing,” manager AJ Hinch said before the match. “We’ve put a lot of work into playing as consistently as possible and we do that every day. The DNA, the personality of this team is very special.”

It took a 31-11 disaster for the Tigers to put themselves in this position. And it was a parade of heroes.

Parker Meadows, with his two home run steals – one in Seattle against Cal Raleigh and the other in Baltimore against Colton Cowser. Meadows again, with two dramatic game-winning hits: the walk-off single that defeated the Yankees in the Little League Classic in Williamsport and, of course, the two-out, 3-2 grand slam homer that defeated San Diego 4-3.

BOX SCORE: Tigers 4, White Sox 1

MLB STANDINGS

Tarik Skubal was 6-0 during the run and posted a 1.96 ERA with 66 strikeouts and nine walks. The Tigers’ entire pitching staff was stellar, posting the lowest ERA and WHIP in baseball.

Keider Montero threw a Maddux (complete game shutout in less than 100 pitches) against the Rockies. Beau Brieske threw out a bases-loaded, no-out to cap off an extra-inning win in Baltimore. Brieske and Brant Hurter also put up 21 straight hitters against the Orioles.

Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter with multi-homer games. Matt Vierling, with his Kirk Gibson-esque sprint and head-first slide across the plate, helped secure the win Thursday that put the Tigers on the precipice of the playoffs.

It was the same effort on Friday.

Opener Brenan Hanifee (two innings) and Hurter helped the Tigers through six innings, allowing only a solo homer to Zach DeLoach (to Hurter) and leaving a 2-1 lead at the back of the bullpen.

The Tigers couldn’t accomplish much against White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet, but they knew he was pitching restrictions and wouldn’t play many more than 60 pitches.

He was up at 62 when Trey Sweeney grounded out with the bases loaded to end the fourth inning.

The Tigers promptly scored two runs in the fifth. Lefty reliever Jared Shuster walked Jake Rogers and Andy Ibanez around a single by Meadows. A wild pitch brought Rogers home and a sacrifice fly by Vierling set up another.

Then came the seventh. Against another lefty reliever, Fraser Ellard, Ibanez doubled, advanced to third base on an error by center fielder Dominic Fletcher and scored on a double by Greene.

Vierling, who walked Greene intentionally, scored on the White Sox’s third wild pitch of the game.

The Tigers were nine outs away and the crowd was ready to party.

Will Vest got five quick outs and struck out high-octane Bryan Ramos and Korey Lee to end the eighth.

Hinch entrusted the next three outs to Tyler Holton, who epitomized the Tigers’ unselfish pitching staff. Since the beginning of July he has performed 35 times. He opened eight games and finished ten games. He has worked every inning one through nine and beyond.

After retiring the side and leaving to a standing ovation, his ledger showed just four earned runs in his final 52 innings.

The final out belonged to Jason Foley and he got the party started, sending Andrew Vaughn flying out.

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@cmccosky