The Detroit Tigers are locked in a battle with the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Wild Card. They won the first game in the best-of-three series behind their star, Tarik Skubal, who threw a franchise playoff record 14 strikeouts. On Oct.1, the Guardians bounced back with a dominant 6-1 victory sending the series to a winner-takes-all third game Oct. 2.

The Detroit Tigers put their anxious fans at ease when the team finally clinched a spot in the 2025 MLB playoffs on Sept. 27. The Tigers’ victory over the Boston Red Sox gave the team its first playoff appearance since the 2013-14 season.

The season, however, did not come without its fair share of eventfulness, including a historic collapse to lose their division to the Cleveland Guardians. The Tigers were the MLB’s first team to reach both the 50- and 60-win mark this season before the bats cooled down and they limped to the finish line.

Near the beginning of July, the Tigers had a 15.5 game lead in the American League Central over the Guardians. As recently as Sept. 1, the Guardians were still more than 10 games behind the Tigers. On Sept. 25, however, the Tigers lost their eighth straight game and Cleveland won 17 of their last 19, catapulting them into the division lead.

In a finish that can be likened to Lightning McQueen blowing his tires and hopping across the finish line in his first Piston Cup, the Tigers held on to the final American League Wild Card spot despite a .291 winning percentage during the month of September.

So, does a team on such a terrible skid even stand a chance to advance? The simple answer is yes.

Despite their finish, the Tigers have the talent in their rotation to make a run through the month of October. Everyone knows the Tigers’ Skubal, the most dominant pitcher in the MLB and the favorite to win the Cy Young Award, but the Tigers’ depth extends much deeper.

On the mound behind Skubal, the Tigers have Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, Keider Montero, and Chris Paddack. Mize has the seventh-best pitching win/loss record in baseball, and with some solid bullpen pitching the Tigers look ready for some defensive masterpieces. When teams eventually do put bat-to-ball, the dynamic duo of outfielders Riley Greene and Javy Baez will be there to snag any stray fly ball. 

Offensively, the Tigers have been troubled in the last month. They have shown the potential to make their bats red hot. Riley Greene is top 10 in the MLB in both home runs (36) and RBIs (111). Javy Baez and Spencer Torkelson are also top 40 in home runs despite relatively long cold streaks throughout the season. 

Overall, the Tigers have the makeup of a team that can make a deep run during the MLB playoffs. ESPN is hopeful, too, with their projections giving the Tigers a 51.1% chance to defeat the Cleveland Guardians in game 3. After the Guardians they would get the second-seeded Seattle Mariners. The Mariners’ hitters have been hot as of recently, but nothing cools down a hot bat like the pitcher with the lowest ERA, second most strikeouts, and lowest WHIP in the MLB. And if you aren’t into the fancy statistics, the Tigers have the defense to shut down any team in the MLB. 

Following the Mariners, the Tigers would most likely play the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series and then the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. The Tigers split their regular season series with the Blue Jays and with the momentum they will be carrying into the ALCS they should be able to take care of business. 

The most talented Tigers team of the past decade dominated Major League Baseball for the majority of the season. They absolutely have the bats and the defense to bring a pennant back to Detroit for the first time since 1984 and cause a mass migration of Hillsdale students to downtown Detroit for the World Series parade.