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A.J. Hinch Dropped Great One-Liner in Clubhouse to Celebrate Tigers Eliminating Astros

Tom Dierberger

Hinch has led the Tigers to the ALDS in his fourth season as manager.
Hinch has led the Tigers to the ALDS in his fourth season as manager. / MLB
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The Detroit Tigers just might be the team of destiny in the 2024 MLB playoffs.

Behind a bases-clearing double by Tigers infielder Andy Ibanez, Detroit defeated the Houston Astros 5–2 on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park to sweep the best-of-three AL wild-card series in two games.

While celebrating the Tigers' latest upset win, Detroit manager A.J. Hinch dropped an iconic one-liner in the clubhouse.

"I'm not sure who, but somebody let the Tigers get hot!" Hinch said as his players sprayed him with celebratory champagne.

On Aug. 11, the Tigers were 56–63 and had a 0.2% chance of making the postseason (per Fangraphs). They went on to win 31 of their final 43 regular-season games to sneak into the playoffs.

Hinch, who managed the Astros for five seasons from 2015 to '19, knocked Houston out of the playoffs with upset wins in Game 1 and Game 2. It marks the first time since 2016 that the Astros' playoff run fell short of the ALCS.

Who did let these Tigers get hot?

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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