Can the Detroit Tigers catch up with the struggling Minnesota Twins?
Minnesota Star Tribune sportswriter Bobby Nightengale joins Days of Roar to discuss how the struggling Minnesota Twins are helping the Detroit Tigers.
Thanks to their winning streak since mid-August, the Detroit Tigers are suddenly in the middle of the fight for the MLB playoffs.
The Tigers are tied with the Minnesota Twins for the American League’s final wild-card spot with nine games left in the regular season. They entered Aug. 11 at 52-58 and 10 games out of the final playoff spot, but have made a run for the ages thanks to the emergence of young hitters and dominance from top to bottom on the mound — whether it’s likely AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal or a well-managed day in the bullpen by manager AJ Hinch.
CRUNCH TIME: Detroit Tigers climbed the table without expectations, but now everything is at stake
And now the nine-game home stretch begins, with Detroit and Minnesota both tied at 80-73. The Tigers still have series against the Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox to play, while Minnesota plays the Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins and Orioles to close the season. The Tigers are also two games behind the Royals for the second AL wild-card spot after beating them on the road, and are five games behind Baltimore entering the series.
The Tigers must finish one game better than the Twins because Minnesota holds the tiebreaker after winning the season series against Detroit and there are no more games 163 left in the expanded playoff era. The Royals also hold the tiebreaker against the Tigers if Detroit beats Kansas City. The previous playoff tiebreaker of an extra regular-season game was eliminated for the 2022 season when the postseason expanded to 12 teams.
Here’s more information on the current MLB postseason format should the Tigers complete this improbable run.
TRENDING: The Detroit Tigers’ magic number to make the playoffs depends on the Minnesota Twins’ results
MLB Wildcard Playoff Format
The wild-card spots go to the three non-division winners with the best records in the league. The old format previously awarded only two wild-card spots, which played the team with the best record in a single game, but that format was replaced when MLB extended its postseason.
The two wild card series consist of the division winner with the worst record and the three wild card teams. The division winner, likely the Houston Astros from the AL West, hosts the third wild card team, while the first and second wild cards face off in the best wild card’s stadium. The top team in the AL plays the winner of the 4-5 matchup in the division series, while the number 2 seed faces the winner of the 3-6 matchup.
The higher seed will host the entire best-of-three wild-card series, which runs from October 1-3. That means if the Tigers make the playoffs, they would likely face Houston or Baltimore on the road.
Who are the other AL playoff contenders?
The New York Yankees lead the AL East and have the AL’s best record. They enter Friday at 89-64, a half-game ahead of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians (89-65). Both teams have clinched a postseason spot, but not their divisions. Behind the Tigers and Twins are the Seattle Mariners, two games back, and the Red Sox, four games back.
Could the Tigers have a home playoff game?
Yes, the rest of the playoff format remains the same. The Division Series will be a best-of-five format, with the team with the better record playing three games – the first two and then a potentially decisive fifth game. The Championship Series and World Series will both be a best-of-seven format, with the team with the better record playing four games – Games 1, 2, 6 and 7.
Even though the Tigers would not have home-field advantage in any potential series, they could still host their first playoff baseball game since 2014 at Comerica Park if they can pull it off and win a road series in the wild-card round.
