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
If the Tigers had lost Thursday's finale in Cleveland, they would have needed to win out against the Red Sox while the Guardians face-planted against the Rangers for a chance to recapture the division. But Detroit won Thursday's game, 4-2, riding two first-inning home runs to an early lead. They still don't hold the head-to-head tiebreaker so they need to outperform Cleveland by at least one game in the final series.
If we're just looking to snag a Wild Card spot, though, the picture gets a bit brighter. The win over the Guardians means that the Tigers' magic number for a playoff berth is now down to 2. 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 finished Thursday at 86-73, so any combination of two Detroit wins and Houston losses will get the job done.
Here's a look at how the playoff seeding looks after Thursday night results.
- Toronto Blue Jays (90-68, AL East champs)*
- New York Yankees (90-68, No. 1 AL Wild Card)*
- Seattle Mariners (89-69, AL West champs)*
- Boston Red Sox (87-71, No. 2 AL Wild Card)*
- Cleveland Guardians (86-72, AL Central champs)
- Detroit Tigers (85-73, No. 3 AL Wild Card)
In the hunt: Houston Astros (85-74)
*Thursday game not final
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 can now move on to their series' against the Red Sox and Rangers respectively. The Astros beat the A's on Thursday before heading to Los Angeles to conclude with a three-game set against the Los Angeles Angels.