By Blake Metiva
Just a few months ago a Tiger playoff run seemed improbable. Close to 10 games out of a playoff spot, hopeless and missing key players, they looked dead in the water. But, in a run eerily reminiscent of the 2022 Lions, the Tigers caught fire. They ended the year on a 31-13 run and clinched a wildcard berth.
In the American League Wild Card Series the Tigers faced Major League Baseball’s most recent dynasty: the Houston Astros. The ‘Stros had made it past the wildcard every year since 2017. They won two World Series and appeared in two others. They hadn’t finished below .500 (in a full season) since 2014, and had a record of 889-628 in that time. They had star players: Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Yusei Kikuchi, Josh Hader and Justin Verlander.
Comparatively, the Tigers couldn’t compete. This was their first playoff in 10 years. They hadn’t finished over .500 since 2016. They had a record of 665-848 since 2014. They were a team with nearly no big names but some up and comers: Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Kerry Carpenter, Parker Meadows and RIley Greene. Without a doubt, the Astros took the wildcard, right?
Absolutely not. The “Gritty Tigs” swept them. They won Game 1 3-1 with a gem of a contest thrown by the future Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. In Game 2 the grit got even grittier. The game was tied in the top of the 8th with the ace of the Astros bullpen on the mound. The bases were loaded and Andy Ibanez stepped up. He slapped a bases-clearing double down the left field line that gave the Tigers the lead and a series victory which sent them to meet an old foe.
The Cleveland Guardians and Tigers have played in the same division since 1936 and have met each other in over 2,300 games. Cleveland had won the division five times during the Tigers’ drought and appeared in the 2016 World Series. They were an old enemy that took off as the Tigers’ decline began. They never met in the playoffs, until this season.
The series was destined to go all the way. The clubs dueled throughout the series. Cleveland took Game 1, Detroit took Game 2, and an even series headed back to Detroit.
When you wait 10 years for something to believe in, your first game back gets especially loud. The crowd in Game 3 was electric. Every hit, run, strikeout or regular out sounded like a ball had flown off the bat of a Tiger and into the seats.
With the raucous crowd behind them, the Tigers took Game 3 on fantastic pitching and timely hitting. Game 4 and a win presented an opportunity for the Tigers to meet the murders row New York Yankees in the ALCS. In a close game, Cleveland staved off elimination to set up a winner-take-all Game 5.
The situation couldn’t have been any more favorable for the Tigers. They had their ace on the mound, and their bats woke up during the last game.
But it wouldn’t go the Tigers way. Skubal allowed a grand slam in the 5th inning. The Tigers bats would go 1-12 with runners in scoring position. The Guardians would beat the Tigers 7-3. It wasn’t meant to be, and the Guardians won the series.
While the season didn’t end the way many had hoped, the future of the Tigers looks bright. They have two of the top 10 prospects in baseball, up and coming pitchers and improving bats, and a general manager that seems to have the best of the franchise on his mind.
