Detroit Tigers magic number: How the Gritty Tigs can shock the world

For the city of Detroit, Sunday was one it'll remember for quite some time. Sure, Dan Campbell and the Lions took care of business at the Arizona Cardinals for a bounce-back win. That was just the cherry on top of the sundae. Across the country, the Tigers have seized control of their destiny in the American League Wild Card race. That's right. A.J. Hinch's men are serious. These Tigers are inching closer to their first postseason game in 10 years.

That's all thanks to their narrow 4-3 win over the struggling Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox's doubleheader sweep of the Minnesota Twins.

As of this moment, Detriot's magic number to clinch stands at six. That essentially represents the amount of either Twins defeats or Tigers triumphs that are required for the Hinch's crew to punch its ticket. This is taking into account that neither ball club is surpassed by three AL teams technically still in contention -- the Mariners, Rays or Red Sox.

Let's take you back in time a little. Well, not that long ago. On Aug. 10, the Tigers just lost three straight games, including two in walk-off fashion. Detroit and the postseason weren't even being said in the same sentence. With a 55-63 record, the club's playoff hopes seemed nearly extinct. FanGraphs pegged their chances at a mere 0.2 percent at the time.

Think about that. This is why MLB changed the playoff format. There is real belief in the Motor City.

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A.J. Hinch's Tigers are on the brink of doing the miraculous

Ever since that Aug. 10 defeat at Oracle Park, the Michigan outfit owns the best record in baseball -- 27-12. The offense sits second in the AL, trailing only the Astros, while the pitching staff boasts the AL's best-earned run average at an impressive 2.68 over this stretch.

The front office didn't even believe. The ball club was essentially left for dead, trading away starter Jack Flaherty, the versatile Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin, and Carson Kelly at the deadline. It begs the question, what if the Tigers had the duo of Flaherty and Tarik Skubal going into October? We'll never know.

The outgoings haven't affected the team all that much. Parker Meadows is a top-eight player in the AL according to fWAR, dating back to the beginning of August. Man is making plays on both sides of the ball (he robbed a home run in the series finale at Baltimore). The bullpen has also been a straight filth factory. 247.1 innings. 18 saves. A 3.39 FIP to go along with a 3.3 fWAR -- the best in the league. That's all from August onwards.

Shout out to Kerry Carpenter, too. He recorded his third multi-home run game of the campaign yesterday. Dude is mashing. According to FanGraphs, only three AL players with at least 250 plate appearances boast a higher SLG than Carpenter: Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr. and Kyle Tucker. That's the entire list. It's time we acknowledge this man.

If you were skeptical before, it's time to believe: six is the magic number, and playoff baseball might soon roar into the Motor City. The Tigers' resurgence has ignited hope across Detroit, transforming doubters into believers with every hard-fought victory.