The Tigers have fallen into the classic Detroit slump over the past decade or so. Complete mediocrity. Long gone are the years of World Series appearances and playoff berths, sadly replaced with 100-loss seasons and last-place finishes in their division. Excitedly, Detroit baseball is back and better than ever this year. The Tigers are on pace to break out of their losing slump and are guaranteed to finish the season with a winning record for the first time since 2016. It wasn’t at all likely, as they hit rock bottom and were 9 games back from a playoff berth with a record of 55-63. But with an unprecedented winning spree, they’ve clawed through the season and are currently placed 5th in the American League (AL) in a close battle for the playoff spot against teams like the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins. Varying factors amalgamated to cause this spark of success, including team shake-ups at the deadline and a resurgence of the pitching crew, the Detroit Tigers are rolling on their way to punch a ticket to the dance.
Detroit at the trade deadline was defunct. Holding a 52-57 record, there was little hope for the season. With no other options, General Manager Jeff Greenburg decided to blow it up as he shipped off one of his best pitchers Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers and sent veterans Mark Canha and Andrew Chafin to different squads. This was supposed to leave Detroit a shell of what it should’ve been; however, the team exploded after the deadline. A major factor was their pitching crew, in which multiple players started throwing gas behind the plate. The one who rose above the rest was Tarik Skubal, a 6 ‘3, 240-pound lefty out of Seattle who is currently a favorite to win the AL Cy Young award for the best pitcher in the American League. Skubal was an under-recruited pitcher who was drafted by the Tigers in 2018, then spent a few years in the minors and debuted in 2020. Skubal was never viewed as a dominant pitcher and was even sent back down to the minors at one point due to poor play. Like a Phoenix, however, he rose from the ashes as a new player and has dominated the show. He has raked in over 17 wins, held a 2.48 ERA (Earned Run Average), and struck out over 220 batters. These were all massive improvements from last season, with over 100 more innings pitched to date. Skubal seems to have the AL Cy Young award wrapped in a pretty bow for him come the end of the season. Skubal isn’t the only great pitcher, as the Tigers have a stellar reliever in Jason Foely, who leads the team with 26 saves. Saves are a stat awarded to pitchers who come into the game up no more than 3 runs and pitch for at least an inning, ending in a win for their team. Along with 26 saves, Foely commands just over a 3 ERA and does his job by keeping opposing hitters at bay. The pitching crew is rounded out by players like Reese Olton, Kenta Maeda, and Tyler Holton.
The Tigers are showing their stripes as they’ve had one of the best records league-wide and are a dark horse pick to win the show. All Tigers fans have their fingers crossed as the end of the regular season approaches.
