Tigers begin Wild Card Series after historic collapse
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Tarik Skubal after Detroit clinched a playoff spot on Saturday. Photo: Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Playoff baseball starts Tuesday, giving the Tigers a clean slate to chase a World Series title after a nightmarish end to the regular season.
The big picture: Detroit (87-75) clinched the sixth and final American League playoff spot over the weekend, setting up a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the rival Cleveland Guardians (88-74).
Zoom in: Game 1 is at 1:08pm at Progressive Field, with ESPN broadcasting.
- Ace Tarik Skubal (13-6, 2.21 ERA) will take the mound for Detroit. Gavin Williams (12-5, 3.06 ERA) will start for the Guardians.
- Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) are also in Cleveland at 1:08pm Wednesday and Thursday.
Catch up quick: Back in July, the Tigers looked like a lock to win the AL Central Division for the first time since 2014.
- But they lost 13 of their final 16 games, allowing Cleveland to become baseball's first team to win a division crown after trailing by more than 15 games.
State of play: The Tigers have a golden opportunity to put their historic late-season collapse behind them.
- Vanquish the Guardians and it's on to the next round to face the No. 2-seeded Seattle Mariners (90-72).
However, the Tigers' regular-season demise will feel exponentially worse with a postseason exit at the hands of Cleveland, the very team that ripped away the AL Central title.
The intrigue: Detroit and Cleveland are familiar foes. They've played six times since Sept. 16, with the Guardians winning five times.
- "We've played Cleveland 50 times in the past four days," Tigers outfielder Riley Greene said after Sunday's loss to Boston. "We know them. They know us. It's going to be fun."
What they're saying: Skubal, one of the best pitchers in baseball, is the main reason experts are giving the Tigers a slight edge to advance.
- Detroit will also need its big bats — Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson — to show up along with strong performances from starting pitchers Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty for sustained playoff success.
- "Recent travails notwithstanding, this is a good baseball team," ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote in making a case for Detroit to win the World Series.