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The Young Tigers' improbable, incredible run is heading into the playoffs

Posted on by Vanessa
The Young Tigers' improbable, incredible run is heading into the playoffs

Detroit – Once they understood it, they didn't let go. Once they figured out where they were going, there was no turning back or turning away.

The Tigers completed one leg of an incredible journey with room and time to spare. Comerica Park shook like it did a decade ago, and it might take another decade to figure out what we've seen and what lies ahead. The Tigers stormed back into the playoffs with ferocity and boldness, clinching a wild-card berth with a 4-1 win over the White Sox on Friday night.

There may be something magical about it, but it's absolutely nothing unusual. The Tigers (86-74) won on the 31stst Times in 42 games, an almost historic rise from obscurity to prosperity. It was practically disappointing as the Tigers gave opponents and oddsmakers a hard time for nearly two months. When Wenceel Perez blocked a fly ball in the ninth to end the game, the sellout crowd of 44,435 erupted as if emotionally unburdened.

The players ran to the center of the diamond, jumping and shouting like children. The funny and fitting thing is that they no longer play like children. There's often a struggle before victory in baseball, but not for these youthful, happy-go-lucky Tigers. They mastered weeks of clutch games without showing the slightest tension.

Masterful movements

AJ Hinch masterfully maneuvered the pitching staff and a roster full of rookies. Of course, the final game featured the Tigers' standard group of five pitchers, each of whom could fill any role they chose. The Tigers don't necessarily do it easily or spectacularly, but they just keep going. They have played 55 one-run games and won 13 of the last 15.

The playoff berth was essentially a foregone conclusion as the Twins still had two games remaining and the White Sox (39-121) had just set a record for lost games. Of course, less than two months ago, it was logically and percentage-wise a foregone conclusion that the Tigers' season would end this weekend.

“I’m pretty overwhelmed that we did this,” Hinch said. “Not because of the talent, not because of the faith, but because of the opportunities. We had to do a lot, day by day.”

Now they head to the wild card round against Houston or Baltimore, a three-game series in which they get to throw ace Tarik Skubal at the start. They may be underdogs again, but when you have stars like Skubal and Riley Greene, anything is truly possible.

From August 11 onwards, the Tigers simply, stubbornly and steadfastly refused to lose. Before they started making unlikely memories, before they started winning more games than anyone in baseball, they were largely forgotten. They were an afterthought in the preseason predictions and a big attempt to make even a small splash in the AL Central. And sure enough, they were 55-63 and it was time to move forward and play against the youth.

More: Niyo: The Tigers' Harris had a vision, and now it's clear to everyone

Then the most remarkable thing happened, one of the most remarkable things in Detroit sports history. The kids came from the lower leagues to join an already green team and gave it a boost. One by one, the newbies walked through the door and fit in. Her talent was obvious and just needed a seasoning.

That's the point Chris Ilitch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris wanted to make when they laid out their plan two years ago. They asked for patience and promised progress that was hard to see. And then suddenly it came earlier than expected.

In the hubbub of the clubhouse celebration, with beer and champagne in the air, Ilitch stood at a plastic-covered locker and sounded pleased, not surprised.

“I can’t say I knew it was going to happen (this season), but I knew it was going to happen at some point,” Ilitch said. “I'm not interested in making predictions. But you could see the tremendous progress throughout the organization. I had a high level of confidence that they would be successful because these guys are winners.”

He talked about Harris, Hinch, GM Jeff Greenberg and others in a new-look front office. A few feet away, Harris was dripping with champagne sprayed by Greene in ambush.

“I feel like I've been saying it for a long time: We had a lot of confidence in these young players,” Harris said. “We really thought, hey, these guys are talented, they deserve a chance. And if they got it, they could just get on with it, and that’s what they did.”

“Faith is a big thing”

They got it in part because Harris was a seller at the trade deadline. It was the logical move that turned into a smart, wealth-changing move.

Parker Meadows returned from the injured list in mid-August and continued to develop into a spectacular midfielder. Jace Jung took over at third and newcomer Trey Sweeney took over at shortstop. Another rookie, Colt Keith, settled in at second base. Around this time, veterans Greene and Kerry Carpenter returned from injury and improved their performances even further.

The Tigers now have 12 rookies on their 28-man roster, most of them in the majors. They were not all immediately productive, but they had an immediate enthusiastic impact. Injuries and trades decimated the pitching – Jack Flaherty and Andrew Chafin were dealt – and veterans were dropped – Javy Baez (injured list), Gio Urshela (traded), Mark Canha (traded), Carson Kelly (traded).

“I mean, no one but us thought we could do it in this situation,” Greene said. “Faith is a big thing. If you believe, you can truly do anything.”

Day after day, despite all odds, they have proven it. Speaking of odds, the Tigers' chance of reaching the postseason was 0.2% as of August 11, according to FanGraphs. On Friday it was 99.2%.

The Tigers went from scoring two percent to playoff contention. They literally made it with everyone's contributions. It became bullpen by committee or bullpen by camaraderie, and relatively unknown pitchers made a difference. Jason Foley, Beau Brieske, Will Vest and Brant Hurter took turns mixing up the innings. The same was true for rookie Brenan Hanifee, who opened Friday night's game.

It ended with the crowd on its feet as Perez and Meadows chased the same flying ball, then collided before Perez fell and held it.

“It was kind of picture perfect how we were able to punch our ticket for October,” Hinch said. “With an imperfect play where guys are literally doing everything they can to catch it.”

Quite poetic and perhaps prophetic. Hinch's management was unorthodox and the influx of new faces made it easier. No egos, no whining. Players were hit hard in strange situations, starters and backups became interchangeable.

“The DNA, the personality of this club is very special,” said Hinch. “The atmosphere on this team is just youthful energy, joy, fun-loving, carefree attitude.”

You can see that in their speed on the basepaths and in the outfield. You can see it in their grins and their gestures, in their exuberant facial expressions.

Whenever a Tiger hits a home run, he must make a hand gesture toward the bullpen as he circles the bases, a reference to the lone relievers. When a player arrives at a base after being hit, he slaps his butt and points to the dugout. For the record, no one seems to know how it started, but it doesn't stop.

When a victory is sealed, the three outfielders meet in the middle of the field and embrace each other in a joyous, jumping manner. So what's it about?

“I have no idea how this started,” Greene said before Friday’s game. “It was just a big group hug. Then we started jumping. Maybe we were particularly excited after a game.”

The Tigers' 31-11 streak is the best in baseball, although Hinch doesn't like to call it a streak or a stretch because streaks and stretches inevitably end. We don't know where these Tigers end, nor are we entirely sure of the starting point, but one moment stands out.

On August 18, the Tigers faced the Yankees in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where young champions are crowned. The Tigers' youthful boldness was on full display as they defeated the mighty Yankees 3-2 in 10 innings. Jung tied the game at 1-1 with a two-out single in the ninth that scored Keith, who had hit a double. Meadows won it in extra innings with an RBI single.

Three rookies with three big wins at the national level, and maybe it wasn't just another regular season game. From there, the Tigers started picking up wins like they expected.

“That day (in Williamsport) brought you back to the true core of why you play the game,” Brieske said. “When you are with the children you can understand better. I think anyone who looks at this team would look and say, you guys are having fun out there. And when you have fun, you usually play for free. And when you play for free, you're probably playing at your highest level. You don't want to be tense, you don't want to be tense, you don't want to be stressed. That could have been a big turning point.”

So many turning points, big and small, as the glimmer of hope grew. There were no slogans, no mantras, although catcher Jake Rogers exclaimed midway through a postgame television interview, “Don't let the Tigers get hot!”

Too late. The Tigers got hot and the competition melted away. And the party, which first started in mid-August and then got bigger and bigger, is just beginning.

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@bobwojnowski

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