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Detroit Tigers control MLB playoff destiny in wild-card race after Twins lose twice
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- Detroit Tigers control MLB playoff destiny in wild-card race after Twins lose twice
The Detroit Tigers officially control their own playoff destiny.
With two losses from the Minnesota Twins on Sunday and a win from the Tigers, A.J. Hinch's squad sits one game up on the Twins in the wild-card standings.
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Saturday's game between the Twins and Boston Red Sox was rained out, meaning the Tigers had a chance to either pick up major ground on Sunday or lose serious momentum with the Red Sox and Twins playing a doubleheader.
Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers and pitcher Jason Foley shake hands after the Tigers win 4-3 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024.
Everything that could go the Tigers way did, and they are now in the driver's seat in the wild-card race with a one game lead over the Twins, a major development since the Twins hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers.
The Kansas City Royals also lost to the San Francisco Giants , their seventh straight loss, and have the same record as the Tigers, but hold the tiebreaker.
The Twins and Red Sox were the first game of the day across MLB on Sunday, and the Red Sox took it to them right out of the gates in Game 1, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and eventually running away with an 8-1 win.
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TIGERS GAME RECAP: Kerry Carpenter slugs 2 HR for 4-3 win, giving Detroit Tigers AL wild-card lead for now
Things weren't so easy for the Tigers in their one and only game of the day. With Tyler Holton getting the start, the Tigers got out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Spencer Torkelson kicked off the scoring with a solo home run and then Trey Sweeney drove in a run with an RBI double. Kerry Carpenter padded the lead the next inning, hitting another home run off Orioles starter Albert Suárez , giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead. However, rookie Ty Madden gave up three runs in the fifth inning to tie the game, 3-3.
Mere seconds after narrowly getting out of the fifth inning, Carpenter hit his second home run of the day to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead, and they never looked back.
But still, the Tigers needed some more help to be in the best possible position by the time they return to the diamond at Comerica Park on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays .
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In the second leg of the Twins-Red Sox doubleheader, the Twins took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, but the lead was incredibly short lived. The Red Sox added three runs in the bottom of the fifth, then scored six runs in the sixth inning to jump out to a 9-2 lead.
From there they held on to win, 9-3, and with that, the Tigers officially controlled their own destiny.
The Tigers' magic number with the Twins is now six , which represents the amount of either Tigers wins or Twins losses that are needed for the Tigers to make the playoffs. However, that's assuming the Tigers and Twins aren't passed by the Mariners , Rays or Red Sox, all of whom are still technically in contention.
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The Tigers have not made the playoffs since 2014 and were complete long shots to break that streak this year, even as of just a few weeks ago. The Tigers were down by 11 games on Aug. 10 and have been the best team in baseball since that time.
The Tigers would face Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros in the 3 vs. 6 matchup in the best-of-three wild-card round if the season ended today. All games would be in Houston.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers control playoff destiny after Twins lose doubleheader
