On the morning of Aug. 11, 2024, the Detroit Tigers were in trouble. Not only did they hold a 55-63 record, having gone 8-13 coming out of the All-Star break, but they were ten games out from a playoff spot and they had to face down a hot Minnesota Twins team.

En route to their first winning season since 2014, the Tigers’ 31-13 record was the best in Major League Baseball. The Twins, on the other hand, finished 17-29, which was good for the third-worst record in that time frame.

Although their final 86-76 record seems modest compared to the win totals of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tigers should not be underestimated.

The Tigers’ pitching, while strong all year, got even better down the stretch. Their team ERA was an MLB-best 2.72 from Aug. 11 to the end of the season. The Atlanta Braves were the only other team in that time span with an ERA under 3, pitching to a mark of 2.86. On the other side, the Dodgers, who finished with the best record in MLB at 98-64, stumbled to a 19th-ranked 4.21 ERA down the stretch.

On the hitting side, Tigers outfielder Riley Greene led qualified hitters with 24 home runs and an adjusted on-base plus slugging rate of 133. Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter returned from injury Aug. 13 and had a .286 batting average, .348 on-base percentage, and a .605 slugging percentage down the stretch, with 10 home runs and an OPS+ of 165.

The Tigers are built for the future with young players such as Greene, outfielders Wenceel Perez and Parker Meadows, and first baseman Spencer Torkelson. With the exception of Kenta Maeda, everyone on the starting pitching staff is under 30. Out of the 15 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, only four are over the age of 30, and only utility man Mark Canha is over 33.

The Tigers may not have the big-name recognition the Yankees and Dodgers have with Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, respectively, but they still find a way to win games. If the starting pitching holds up, the Tigers will be dangerous for any opponent. This team is not as much of an underdog as it appears to be at first glance.