The AL Wild Card matchup between the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros ended with the underdog team coming out on top. That is to say, the Tigers (86-76) somehow snuck into the playoffs and went on to sweep the Astros 2-0, which means Houston will miss going to the ALCS round after seven straight appearances.
The Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after the game, when speaking to his team in the clubhouse, that they embody the same hard-working and never giving up attitude as the city of Detroit, who they represent.
"Our city is built on grit," Hinch said. "That's what it is. I remember saying that I wanted to have a team that this city is proud of. I think the city is pretty proud of what we're doing and how we're doing it and the fight that this team shows."
"I'm not sure who, but somebody let the Tigers get hot." - Manager A.J. Hinchpic.twitter.com/2941UbhHHt
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 2, 2024
Andy Ibanez was the hero of Game 2 as he came to bat as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and hit a three-run double which broke the tie. This led to a Tigers 5-2 win and sweep of the AL Wild Card Series on Wednesday.
"Regardless that nobody was rooting for us," Ibanez said. "Regardless that nobody was putting us in the playoffs in a good spot, we didn't care, we just put in hard work... to make the results come."
To emphasize the Cinderella story, Astros relief pitcher Josh Hader, who gave up the 3-RBI game-winning double, has a higher salary than the entire Tigers playoff roster.
The Astros are paying Josh Hader more ($19M) than the entire Detroit Tigers postseason roster ($18.8M) pic.twitter.com/xJcdc3DCEE
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) October 2, 2024
On Aug 10, the Tigers were 8 games below .500 at 55-63.
Since, Detroit has the best record in MLB, winning 32 of its last 46 games.
Including their 1st playoff win since Oct 16, 2013.
That was 10 years & 350 days ago.
The best story in baseball. pic.twitter.com/ScjZdE2Si5
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) October 1, 2024
To note, this series victory was extra special for the Tigers manager, as Hinch was also the manager of the Astros in 2017, but was fired for his involvement in the team's sign-stealing scandal.
Highest #Postseason winning percentage by an MLB manager (min. of 35 such games):
.698- Joe McCarthy (30-13)
.618- Sparky Anderson (34-21)
.606- Bruce Bochy (57-37)
.592- Joe Torre (84-58)
.587- Casey Stengel (37-26)
.577- @tigers A.J. Hinch (30-22)
.569- Charlie Manuel (29-22) pic.twitter.com/zQiFgGT1lw— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) October 3, 2024
Now after defeating Hinch's old team, the Tigers advance to the ALDS, and are one series away from going to the ALCS, as the Guardians are the only team that stands in their way.
In their last 10 matchups, the Tigers and Guardians are 5-5 vs. each other, as the inner-division AL Central rivals will once again face-off, beginning their best-of-five series in Cleveland on Saturday, October 5 at 1:08 pm ET.
The Tiger Turnaround:
A team with the 26th highest payroll in the MLB ($98 mil).
An 0.2% chance of making the playoffs on August 2nd.
Detroit won 34 of their last 51 games.
They just swept the Astros in the Wild Card, in Houston.
Obvious parallels of “The Streak” in Oakland. https://t.co/I4foa8AA5z pic.twitter.com/lHjApoB39F
— Ben (@benpawlak4) October 2, 2024
Related: Fans Are Ripping ESPN's Ninth Inning In-Game Interview During Mets-Brewers NLWC Game 2
