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Detroit Tigers in prime MLB position: Here's how AL wild-card works
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- Detroit Tigers in prime MLB position: Here's how AL wild-card works
The Detroit Tigers are suddenly in the thick of the MLB playoff hunt thanks to their red-hot run since mid-August.
The Tigers are tied for the last American League wild-card spot with the Minnesota Twins with nine games remaining in the regular season. They entered play on Aug. 11 at 52-58 and 10 games out of the final playoff spot, but have put together a run for the ages due to the emergence of young hitters and top-to-bottom dominance on the mound — whether it's the likely AL Cy Young winner in Tarik Skubal or a bullpen day navigated well by manager A.J. Hinch.
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CRUNCH TIME: Detroit Tigers climbed standings without expectations, but now there's everything to lose
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch comes to the dugout in the third inning for a pitcher change as starting pitcher Reese Olson leaves the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024.
And now, the nine-game sprint to the end begins with Detroit and Minnesota both at 80-73. The Tigers have series with the Baltimore Orioles , Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox left, while Minnesota plays the Boston Red Sox , the Miami Marlins and the Orioles to close out the season. The Tigers are also two games behind the Royals for the second AL wild-card spot after sweeping them on the road, and trail Baltimore by five games entering the series.
The Tigers have to finish one game better than the Twins because Minnesota holds the tiebreaker after winning the season series over Detroit and there are no more Game 163s in the expanded playoff era. The Royals also hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers if Detroit runs down Kansas City. The former playoff tiebreaker of an extra regular-season game was removed for the 2022 season, when the postseason expanded to 12 teams.
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Here is more information on the current MLB postseason format if the Tigers complete this improbable run.
MLB wild-card playoff format
The wild-card slots go to the three non-division winners with the best record in the league. The old format previously only awarded two wild-card slots that played in a single game to face off against the team with the best record, but it was replaced as the MLB expanded its postseason.
The two wild-card series are comprised of the division winner with the worst record and the three wild-card teams. The division winner, which will likely be the Houston Astros out of the AL West, hosts the third wild-card team, while the first and second wild cards square off at the top wild card's stadium. The top team in the AL plays the winner of the 4-5 matchup in the Division Series, while the No. 2 gets the winner of the 3-6 matchup.
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The higher-seeded team hosts the entire best-of-three wild-card series, which is set for Oct. 1-3, meaning the Tigers would likely face Houston or Baltimore on the road if they make the playoffs.
Who are other AL playoff contenders?
The New York Yankees lead the AL East and own the AL's best record, entering Friday at 89-64, half a game ahead of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians (89-65). Both teams have clinched a postseason berth, though not their divisions yet. Behind the Tigers and Twins are the Seattle Mariners , two games back, and the Red Sox, at four games back.
Could the Tigers have a home playoff game?
Yes, the rest of the playoff format remains unchanged. The Division Series is best-of-five with the team with the better record hosting three games — the first two and then a potential winner-take-all Game 5. The Championship Series and World Series are both best-of-sevens with the team with the better record hosting four games — Games 1, 2, 6 and 7.
So, even though the Tigers wouldn't have the home-field advantage in any potential series they could get, they could still host the first playoff baseball game at Comerica Park since 2014 if they make it and win a road series in the wild-card round.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How the AL wild-card playoff format works for Detroit Tigers
