As the baseball season progresses, the question on every Tigers fan's mind is whether their beloved team has been eliminated from the playoffs. The journey to the postseason is a long and arduous one, filled with twists and turns, and the Tigers' fate hangs in the balance.
In 2024, the Detroit Tigers had a remarkable run that captured the attention of the baseball world. Despite being the youngest team in Major League Baseball, they defied the odds and clinched a spot in the playoffs. Their underdog mentality and perseverance were truly inspiring, and they managed to take their storybook run all the way to five games in the divisional series.
However, their postseason journey came to an end with a 7 - 3 loss on the road to Cleveland in a winner - takes - all dual. While this was a disappointing result, it doesn't take away from the managing excellence of A.J. Hinch and the pitching masterclass from AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal. The Tigers' unorthodox approach to pitching, which involved deploying just one true starter in Skubal, was dubbed “pitching chaos” by Hinch, and it paid off as they swept Houston in the wild card round.
Looking back at the 2023 season, the Tigers were in a different situation. Even though it was late September, they still hadn't been eliminated from the playoff race. All they had to do was win their last nine games, and they had a chance. However, it was a long shot, as the Minnesota Twins also had to finish 0 - 9 against the Angels, Athletics, and Rockies, three of the worst teams in baseball.
At that time, the Tigers were 72 - 81 with nine games remaining. While this record wasn't good enough, there were some positive signs. For example, if you took out their games against the AL East, where they had a horrendous record of 7 - 25, their record on the season was 65 - 56, which was a better winning percentage than the division - leading Twins had at that time.
Another factor to consider was the number of injuries the Tigers suffered in early June. On June 2, they were 26 - 28 and 2.5 games behind the Twins in the central when they lost Riley Greene, Matt Vierling, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Kerry Carpenter all at once. This led to a nine - game losing streak, and they never got close to the Twins again.
Despite these challenges, the 2023 season was still a step in the right direction for the Tigers. Greene, Carpenter, and Spencer Torkelson blossomed into an offensive core the team could build around, and they got unexpected contributions from Reese Olson and Sawyer Gipson - Long on the mound.
So, to answer the question of whether the Tigers have been eliminated from the playoffs, it depends on the season in question. In 2024, their postseason run ended with a loss in the divisional series, while in 2023, they were on the brink of elimination but still had a slim chance until the very end.
As the Tigers look ahead to the future, they will undoubtedly build on the success they've had in recent seasons. With a young and talented roster, there's plenty of reason for optimism, and fans can look forward to more exciting baseball in the years to come. Whether they'll make it to the playoffs next season remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure - the Tigers will always fight until the very end.