Not all that long ago, the Detroit Tigers felt like a lock to not only win the AL Central but to secure a first-round bye in the AL playoffs — heck, maybe even the No. 1 overall seed. But a September skid combined with the torrid stretch from the Cleveland Guardians has left the team in danger of missing the playoffs entirely as we head toward the season's final weekend. That, of course, means fans are dying to know what the Tigers' magic number is.
Detroit's slide continued in Cleveland on Wednesday night, with another loss to the Guardians — the team's eighth in a row overall — dropping the Tigers to now a full game behind their Central rivals in the division standings. Things are not going great right now, to say the least.
If there's a silver lining here, it's that for as bad as the past couple of weeks have been, Detroit still controls its own destiny when it comes to securing a spot in the postseason. Sure, it's disappointing that that's where the bar is right now, and winning the division sure would be nice for the team's chances of going on a run in October, but hey: At this point, beggars can't be choosers.
So, what does this team need to do in order to clinch a playoff spot? Let's break down Detroit's magic number in addition to the tiebreakers they own that could ultimately give them a huge hand in making it to the postseason.
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Tigers magic number and tiebreakers vs. Guardians and Astros
At this point, the Central seems like a lost cause. If the Tigers lose the final game of their series in Cleveland on Thursday, they'll need to win out over the weekend while the Guardians lose out in order to recapture the division. Even if Detroit salvages Thursday's game and avoids the sweep, they don't hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, meaning they'll have to outperform Cleveland by at least one game in the final series of the regular season. (The Tigers head to Fenway for three against the Red Sox, while the Guardians get the Rangers at home.)
If we're just looking to snag a Wild Card spot, though, the picture gets a bit brighter. Another Astros loss on Wednesday means that the Tigers' magic number for a playoff berth is now down to 3. Detroit has already secured the season series against Houston, and the best record the Astros can finish with at this point is 88-74. The Tigers enter Thursday at 85-73, so any combination of three Detroit wins and Houston losses will get the job done.
Here's a look at how the playoff seeding looks entering play on Thurssday.
- Toronto Blue Jays (90-68, AL East champs)
- Seattle Mariners (89-69, AL West champs)
- Cleveland Guardians (86-72, AL Central champs)
- New York Yankees (90-68, No. 1 AL Wild Card)
- Boston Red Sox (87-71, No. 2 AL Wild Card)
- Detroit Tigers (85-73, No. 3 AL Wild Card)
In the hunt: Houston Astros (84-74)
Realistically, the Tigers, Guardians and Astros are duking it out for two spots in the final playoff bracket: one for the Central winner, and the other for the final AL Wild Card berth. Detroit already knows that it's lost the head-to-head tiebreaker to Cleveland thanks to Tuesday's meltdown, but they've already secured the season series with Houston, meaning that they'd get the nod even if the two teams finish the regular season tied.
The Tigers and Guardians have one more game left to play on Thursday, while the Astros have one more game in Sacramento against the A's before heading to Los Angeles to conclude with a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels.