Detroit catches Tigers fever as playoffs begin
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The Tigers' group photo after their playoff-clinching win Friday. Photo: Nic Antaya/Getty Images
Tigers fever has swept across Metro Detroit for Tuesday's Game 1 showdown against the Houston Astros.
The big picture: Just as fans settled in for the most-anticipated Lions season in years, the Tigers crashed the fall sports scene with an improbable hot streak that catapulted them into the MLB playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Zoom in: First pitch is at 2:32pm at Minute Maid Park in Houston. ABC is broadcasting.
- It's a best-of-three series, with Houston hosting all the games.
- Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) also will be at 2:32pm on ABC.
- The winner will face the Cleveland Guardians, winners of the AL Central division, in the best-of-five American League Division series starting Saturday.
Fun fact: Locals call Minute Maid Park the Juice Box.
The latest: Comerica Park is hosting a watch party for fans to enjoy Game 1 together.
- Tickets are $5, with some proceeds for the Detroit Tigers Foundation. Kids 14 and under are free with a guardian.
Reality check: The game times are inconvenient for Tigers fans in school or with 9am-5pm jobs.
Between the lines: The Detroit-Houston matchup has some juicy storylines.
- Justin Verlander — one of the greatest Tigers pitchers in franchise history— started 17 games for Houston this season with a 5.48 ERA. His role for the playoffs is unclear, the Detroit News reports.
- Tigers manager A.J. Hinch knows Houston well — he managed the Astros from 2015-2019 and won a World Series with them in 2017. In 2020, he was fired and handed a one-season suspension from baseball for failing to stop the team's sign-stealing operation.
- "Getting back to October truly means a lot to me," Hinch said, per MLive.
State of play: Houston (88-73) won the AL West division and Detroit (86-76) was the third and final American League wild card team.
- The Game 1 starters are left-hander Tarik Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA) for the Tigers and left-hander Framber Valdez (15-7, 2.91 ERA) for Houston.
The bottom line: The Tigers need only two wins in Houston this week to advance to the playoffs against Cleveland at Comerica Park.
Worthy of your time: MLB's postseason format, explained