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Detroit Tigers' Skipper Set to Join Rare Baseball History in Wild Card Series

The red-hot Detroit Tigers will take on the Houston Astros in the wild card round of the American League playoffs.

Brady Farkas

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch (14) looks on before the the ninth inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch (14) looks on before the the ninth inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The red-hot Detroit Tigers were well under .500 in mid-August but played their way into the American League playoffs by virtue of an incredible late August and September.

As a result, the Tigers are among the scariest teams in the playoffs and they'll be a real challenge for the Houston Astros in the wild card round. The Astros won the American League West yet again, holding off the Seattle Mariners and the World Champion Texas Rangers.

For Tigers manager AJ Hinch, this series will have special and historic meaning as well.

Tigers at Astros means A.J. Hinch will be the 3rd manager to face a team in a postseason series that he previously managed to a World Series title, joining:

Terry Francona (with CLE) vs. BOS in the 2016 ALDS
Billy Martin (with OAK) vs. NYY in the 1981 ALCS

h/t @EliasSports

Hinch managed the Astros to the World Series title in 2017, but was then fired before the 2020 season after the sign-stealing saga became public knowledge.

He was hired by the Tigers before the 2021 season after a one-year suspension, making this his fourth year at the helm.

With Detroit, he's gone 307-341. Lifetime, Hinch is in the 11th year of his managerial tenure with the Astros, Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

He is 877-793 lifetime.

Game 1 of the series will be played on Tuesday afternoon in Houston. First pitch is 2:32 p.m. ET. American League Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal pitches for the Tigers while left-hander Framber Valdez goes for the Astros.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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