Madelyn Furstenau ‘26, Lyonlife.org Editor-in-Chief
On Aug. 10, the Detroit Tigers had a projected 0.2 percent chance of making it to the playoffs. On Oct. 1, they won their first Wild Card game 3-1 against the Houston Astros. Then they beat them again the next day to move on to the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the Cleveland Guardians. Considering their Wild Card appearance—and a sweep right off the bat—they overcame that initial statistic.
Looking back, it is clear the Tigers were reborn in September. From Aug. 11 to Sep. 29, they maintained a 24-10 record—the best in the MLB during that span. At the same time, the pitching staff led the MLB in Earned Run Average (ERA) with a solid 2.46. Their offense averaged about five runs per game, which put them at the top of the American League and ranked them fifth in the MLB for that statistic. The question is, what happened in those few weeks?
How did the Tigers get so heated up and defy all odds?
Coincidentally, this stretch of success came right after their extra-innings win against the New York Yankees at the Little League Classic. When reflecting on it, some players claimed that the game marked a turning point for the team. Everything became real when they realized they had to step it up to land a Wild Card spot in October. Others gave left-hand pitcher Tarik Skubal the bulk of the credit. First baseman Spencer Torkelson said, “He’s built for the moment…All the confidence in the world in him.“ Another teammate, outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy, said, “We got Skubal on the mound…so I like our chances.” Skubal is currently ranked as the best pitcher in the MLB and has been an enormous asset to the Tigers this year. His sheer talent and ability to easily shut down his competition have made him a frontrunner for the Cy Young Award, which honors the best pitcher in the National and American Leagues.
Throughout their continuous rallying, the Tigers’ home field, Comerica Park, was completely sold out for their final regular season games determining whether they clinched one of two American League Central Wild Card spots. Every postseason-starved fan wanted to see it happen live. And for the first time since 2014, they finally did. It may have taken a decade, but Detroit rejoiced anyway. It has truly been a long time coming, and not just for the city. Both the players and Tigers manager, AJ Hinch, are beyond thrilled about this opportunity. In a clubhouse celebration after clinching the Wild Card spot, Hinch gave a speech to his players: “In the middle of the season, remember I asked you, ‘What kind of team do you want to be?’ I guess you wanted to be a playoff team.”
The Tigers began their run at Minute Maid Park in Houston, facing the Astros. Skubal led them to their first postseason win of the year, and the team rallied for another win the next day to advance beyond the Wild Card. Every fan was excited to see the Tigers play October ball, and this sweep kickstarted what would be a decent stretch of games for Detroit.
They went on to play against the Cleveland Guardians, who finished their regular season as leaders of the American League Central Division (ALCD) with an impressive 92-69 record. Although knocked down their first game with a 7-0 shutout, the Tigers evened it out to 2-2 toward the end of the best-of-five series. They were able to return to their home field during the matchup where a lively crowd of over 40,000 welcomed them back. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. The Tigers lost their final postseason game in Cleveland on Oct. 12 in a 7-3 loss.
The ending was certainly disheartening, but in a way, it was still bittersweet. This success has been so longed-for that Detroit is delighted to see any postseason run, even if the result was not ideal. The Tigers have one of the youngest clubs in the entire MLB, and this seven-game October appearance shows that their young talent may foreshadow an incredibly bright future for this team. Come spring training, we will have a pretty good idea of just how far the Tigers will go in 2025.
Lyon Life 