The Detroit Tigers have pulled off the biggest, most stunning comeback in the sports world this year. Just last month, the Tigers had a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs, but in September, Detroit turned the baseball world upside down. A record of 16-6 this month set the opportunity for Detroit to clinch a playoff berth… and that’s exactly what they did. On Friday against the White Sox Detroit secured a spot in the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Now that Detroit has officially clinched, they can lean on the advice of a quarterback who spent a few years in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As J.J McCarthy once said: “Job’s not finished.”… even with the electric month of September, Detroit just had, it will still be David vs. Goliath throughout the postseason. However, this season, the Gritty Tigers have shown us there is no mountain high enough or steep enough to stop them. The rest of the baseball community will probably write the Tigers off, but the Tigers won’t write back. My brain instantly takes me back to a specific moment from the 1988 World Series when thinking about this Tigers team. It was a moment centered around Kirk Gibson, and the finishing touches were placed perfectly by legendary broadcaster Vin Scully.
“In a year so improbable, the impossible has happened.”… That is the feeling Tigers fans have now with Detroit clinching, but that call from Scully could come back to life if the Tigers march through a bunch of Goliaths to win the American League pennant. Although the Tigers would sneak up on everyone else by going the distance, it shouldn’t come as a surprise for Tigers fans in the event that it does happen. This team is quietly built for a postseason run.
Detroit Tigers’ Road to the World Series:
As if there weren’t enough storylines already, it looks like the Tigers and Justin Verlander’s Houston Astros are on a collision course. However, if the Tigers pass the Royals, it looks like Detroit would play the Baltimore Orioles. One thing I can say for certain is that neither of those teams wants to run into the Detroit Tigers in a three-game Wild Card series. Tarik Skubal is a cheat code, and throwing him out there for game one of the series gives Detroit a fantastic opportunity to take the early advantage. The Orioles especially don’t want to see the Tigers as Detroit has had their number this season.
Obviously, Tarik Skubal can not carry the team all the way to the World Series, and he won’t need to. Although the Tigers lack starting pitching depth, their bullpen is one of their strengths and could carry the Tigers through each round of the postseason. Tyler Holton is one of the best relief pitchers in baseball and has had a brilliant supporting cast throughout the last month of the season. Chris Fetter worked his magic with Beau Brieske, and he has been lights out in his last 14 games. Jason Foley has been dominant as well. Now, the Tigers have also thrown top-ranked pitching prospect Jackson Jobe into the mix. Detroit will have to lean on the bullpen to get them through tight battles and their no-quit offense will have to continue to push them over the top.
It’s time to embrace meaningful October baseball in the Motor City again. The Detroit Tigers are set to contend for a World Series.
