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    • The Detroit Tigers’ epic run to the AL playoffs is unlike any other
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    The Detroit Tigers’ epic run to the AL playoffs is unlike any other

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    The Detroit Tigers were sellers at the trade deadline, parting ways with veterans Jack Flaherty, Andrew Chafin and Mark Canha. After August 10, the Tigers were buried eight games under .500 and ten games back in the wild-card race, with a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs, according to Fangraphs.

    Less than fifty days later, the Tigers are heading to the postseason for the first time since 2014.

    The Tigers needed one win in three games against the Chicago White Sox to clinch a wild card spot in the American League. They wasted no time, winning 4-1 in Friday’s series opener to advance beyond the regular season.

    The regular competition ends on Sunday.

    “We feel really good about how we’re doing, not just what we’re doing,” manager AJ Hinch said before Friday’s game. “We’ve put a lot of work into playing as consistently as possible and doing that every day. The DNA and personality of this club is very special. We don’t think about it much. We really just come to play and to win.” We’ve done a lot of that lately and we hope to do more.”

    FRIDAY’S CLINCHER: Detroit Tigers clinch AL playoff berth in 4-1 W; White Sox set MLB record with 121st L

    But the Tigers – in Hinch’s fourth year as manager – will open the postseason on Tuesday, against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park or the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The opponent and location for the three-match wild card series will be determined by the seeding of the three wild card teams, which may not be finalized until Sunday evening.

    Tarik Skubal, the frontrunner to win the AL Cy Young Award, is expected to start Game 1 of the wild-card series. The southpaw has a 2.39 ERA with 228 strikeouts in 31 starts.

    JEFF SEIDEL: Magic for tigers? Sure, but manager AJ Hinch is the magician who casts a spell

    “That’s why you play the game, to pitch in the postseason and hopefully win the big one,” Skubal said before Thursday’s game. “That’s the most important thing in this game, and that’s the most important thing to me. Trophies, you care about them, but most of all I would like the World Series ring.”

    To reach the playoffs, the Tigers turned on the Jets with a 31-11 record in 42 games since August 11. At the same time, the Minnesota Twins posted a 12-24 record in 36 games since August 18, creating a freefall. of the play-off picture.

    The Twins’ epic failure opened the door for the red-hot Tigers to catch up.

    Sure enough, the Tigers joined the 1973 New York Mets as the only teams to make the playoffs after at least eight games under .500 through 115 games.

    ON THE HILL: How Tigers’ pitching strategy from Scott Harris and AJ Hinch leads to wins

    Pitching was the biggest difference between the Tigers and Twins in their respective end-of-season trends. As of August 11, the Tigers lead the MLB with a 2.60 ERA. As of August 18, the Twins rank 25th in the MLB with a 4.65 ERA.

    What else led to the Tigers’ winning ways? A top-tier pitching staff of openers and bulk relievers despite only two starters in the rotation for more than a month, the return of several position players from injuries, an increase in aggressiveness on the bases and a World Series-winning manager that pushes all the right buttons to set players up for success.

    “I’ve been playing like Game 7 for two months, that’s what it feels like,” Hinch said. “We want to win today’s game, and we’re going to use the guys who can help us win today’s game. You’re going to see us play the same brand that we’ve been playing with that has gotten us to this point… We have to play the nine innings, and we have to play to win. Whatever the game calls for, that’s what we’re going to try to do.

    As of Friday’s game, the Tigers had the youngest roster among the 30 MLB teams, with an average age of 26.3. Only two players on the roster – outfielder Matt Vierling and right-handed reliever Kenta Maeda – have postseason experience.

    The Tigers ended a nine-year drought — tied for the longest active streak in MLB — by reaching the postseason in 2024, the second year under president of baseball operations Scott Harris. The Tigers hired Harris on September 19, 2022, after firing general manager Al Avila.

    FOLLOW THE LEADER: Matt Vierling is leading the young Tigers in the postseason race

    In the last postseason experience, the Tigers were defeated in three games by the Orioles in the 2014 AL Division Series, despite starts from Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and David Price.

    The franchise has now made the playoffs in 17 of 125 seasons, winning the World Series in 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984. However, since the 1984 championship, the Tigers have reached the playoffs in just seven of the past 40 seasons.

    While seeding is to be determined, five of the six AL teams are set for the postseason: New York Yankees (AL East), Cleveland Guardians (AL Central), Astros (AL West), Orioles (wild card) and Tigers (wild card). The Twins and Kansas City Royals are still alive for the remaining wild card spot.

    Of those teams, the Tigers took the most unlikely route to the playoffs.

    The magical run continues.

    Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.

    Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” on demand every Monday afternoon on freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And check out all our podcasts and daily voice prompts at freep.com/podcasts.

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