DETROIT — How did the Detroit Tigers do it? It’s a question that has persisted for the majority of September. What started as a jovial story, a team with whimsical dreams of doing the impossible, slowly morphed into reality and tangible possibility this month. Friday at Comerica Park, the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 4-1 to complete the journey.
Back on Aug. 10, the Tigers’ playoff odds were down to 0.2 percent, per Fangraphs. They were 10 games out of a playoff spot. No team has overcome such a daunting uphill climb in MLB’s Wild-Card Era. In MLB history, the 1973 Mets are the only other team to be as many as eight games under .500 in August and go on to appear in the postseason.
The Tigers have now etched their names into that against-the-odds history thanks a 31-11 record from Aug. 13 onward. They staged this despite being down to only two healthy starters after the trade deadline. But manager A.J. Hinch, in his fourth season with Detroit, mixed and matched, deploying bullpen games that he came to coin “group effort days” as the Tigers asked young, unheralded pitchers like Brant Hurter to pitch four-plus innings at a time, piggybacking off openers such as Tyler Holton or Beau Brieske.
The Tigers also staged their remarkable comeback despite seven rookie positions players populating their roster. Although Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal blazed the path to many wins and outfielder Riley Greene developed into a full-fledged All-Star, the majority of the Tigers’ lineup is made up of young grinders and scrappy utility players. The Tigers, though, improved their defense and baserunning in the second half. Bolstered mainly by a patchwork pitching staff with an MLB-best ERA over the past two months, the Tigers found ways to come from behind, win tight games and gain small edges on the margins.
Less than two months ago, a franchise enduring a decade-long playoff drought seemed destined to spend an 11th consecutive October at home. Instead, fate, fortune and fortitude led the Tigers on a rip-roaring run that now culminates in a champagne celebration.
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