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How the ‘spirit of this team’ led Detroit Tigers to improbable postseason appearance

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Detroit Tigers
Credit: David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The near-impossible has become reality. After being given less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs in August, the Detroit Tigers punched their ticket to the postseason Friday night, defeating the Chicago White Sox 4-1.

Back on Aug. 10, the Tigers were 55-63 and had only a 0.2% chance to play in October. However, the Tigers kicked it into another gear, going 31-11 and posting the best record in all of baseball since that point.

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According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, the Tigers are just the fifth team to make the playoffs after being 10 games out of a spot 115 games or more into the season.

How did the Detroit Tigers make the postseason?

Thanks to probable AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, All-Star center fielder Riley Greene, and a stout bullpen, the Tigers went on a remarkable run. Despite shipping out pitcher Jack Flaherty and other pieces at the trade deadline, manager A.J. Hinch was able to cobble together bullpen games, thanks to guys like Tyler Holton, Will Vest, Jason Foley, and Beau Brieske.

Unheralded players like Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows played significant roles. Colt Keith rebounded after a brutal start to his rookie season.

Kerry Carpenter was able to return from injury and put together a 2.1 WAR season. After Friday night’s win, he credited the “spirit of this team” that led the Tigers to the postseason.

“It’s everybody. I don’t know what it is, but it’s just the spirit of this team. It doesn’t matter if these guys come up to the big leagues a month ago, or they’ve been in the league for forever, it doesn’t matter. We got a bunch of guys who are confident out here,” Carpenter told Bally Sports Detroit. “We believe in ourselves and we believe in each other. It’s pretty evident tonight and this whole season has been fun.”

For former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson, who has struggled this season after hitting 31 home runs in 2023, this was particularly sweet.

“It took everybody,” Torkelson told Bally Sports Detroit. “The lowest on the totem pole to the highest on the totem pole.”

It’s the first time the Tigers have reached the postseason since 2014. The Tigers will most likely face the Kansas City Royals at home in the three-game Wild Card series.

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