If you would have asked any Major League Baseball fan at the beginning of August if they thought the Tigers would make the playoffs, they would’ve most likely told you, “Never in a million years.” Surprisingly, the Tigers flipped the script, from having a 55- 63 record to finishing the regular season at 86-76.
The ace of the team and the highest-ranked starting pitcher in the MLB, Tarik Skubal, has been instrumental in the Tigers leading the league with 228 strikeouts. He boasts an impressive 18-4 record, tying for the best win-loss record in the league, and ranks second in earned run average at 2.39 as well as in walks and hits per inning pitched at 0.92.
Other players who contributed to the Tigers’ late-season surge include Riley Greene, who earned a spot in the 2024 All-Star Game, along with Parker Meadows and Kerry Carpenter. Meadows, who played outstanding defense throughout the Tigers’ run, along with Kerry Carpenter, known for his impressive power to all fields and nicknamed “Kerry Bonds.” This nickname pays homage to Barry Bonds, the former player who holds the record for the most home runs in MLB history. This nickname stuck after the 12-time silver slugger for his power and consistency in the batter’s box. With the help of these key players, from the date of Aug. 10 to the end of the regular season, the Tigers had a record of 31-11, the best record at that time. By winning their last couple of games of the regular season against the Chicago White Sox, they clinched themselves a spot in the 2024 postseason, which was very surprising for many baseball fans, considering they have one of the youngest teams in the MLB.
Because the Tigers narrowly made it into the playoffs, they had to play some of the highest ranked teams in the MLB. Their first opponent of the postseason was the Astros. Fans knew that this was gonna be a hard hurdle to overcome, knowing that the Astros have all-stars on their team such as Jose Altuve, Yordon Alverez, Alex Bregman, Jason Heyward and veteran pitchers like Josh Hader and Justin Verlander. Surprisingly, the Tigers shocked the whole world by sweeping the Astros in the wild card round. They held the Astros team to only three runs throughout the two games.
Once the rejuvenated Tigers beat the Astros, they moved on to the American League Divisional Series to play the division leading Clevland Guardians. Their lineup features all-star José Ramírez, the hot-hitting Steven Kwan and one of the best closers in MLB history, Emmanuel Clase.
Unfortunately, the Tigers were eliminated in a win-or-go-home game in Cleveland, where Lane Thomas launched a grand slam off ace pitcher Tarik Skubal. Ultimately, the Tigers fell 7-3, bringing their long playoff run to an end. This was very heartbreaking for the city of Detroit, knowing that the Tigers were so close to having their first franchise World Series championship win since 1984.
In the end, it is looking bright for the Tigers franchise in the future. With all of the young talent and injured players coming back healthy for the next season, the Tigers are bound to have a successful future, with a possibility of making it this far once again.
