Detroit Tigers Showcases Unlikely Lineup in First Postseason Game in a Decade
The Detroit Tigers will look to continue their improbable season as they take on the Houston Astros, one of the most playoff-experienced teams in recent memory.
The Astros will host the Tigers in the American League Wildcard round beginning on Tuesday. They have returned to the postseason for the eighth straight season and look to make it back to the World Series for the fifth time in that span.
On the other hand, Detroit enters the postseason for the first time since 2014 after making it with the majority of their 2024 opening-day roster on different teams. At the MLB Trade Deadline, Detroit was one of the biggest ‘sellers’ to other contenders. Players such as Jack Flaherty, who joined AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal at the top of the rotation, were sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers for players with their eyes set on the future.
They still overcame the odds.
After the deadline, the team had a 0.2% chance to make the postseason, and with their newly constructed roster, thanks to players stepping up after being promoted from the minor leagues, the Tigers clinched the sixth seed in the American League.
MLB Insider Jon Morosi made a great observation heading into Game One of the Wildcard round with the Astros. Five of the nine players that will start the opening game in Houston on Tuesday played in Triple-A Toledo at one point this season.
It’s safe to say no other team in the field for the 2024 playoffs has done the same. The five players include Trey Sweeney, Wenceel Pérez, Spencer Torkelson, Justyn-Henry Malloy, and Parker Meadows.
Five of the nine position players in Detroit's Game 1 lineup were assigned to the Toledo @MudHens at different points of the year:
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 1, 2024
Malloy, Pérez, Torkelson, Meadows, Sweeney @MLBNetwork @RoadtoDetroit https://t.co/cavoOcUjXT
Sweeney was a part of the trade that sent Flaherty to the Dodgers. Having the 24-year-old shortstop starting in a playoff game is an exciting thing for the organization. What was expected as a piece for only 2025 and beyond is now batting ninth in his first postseason appearance, only a little over a month after making his MLB Debut.
Perez played only 15 games in the minor leagues before making the jump to the Tigers' Major league roster. Other than a short injury stint, he has become a regular in the team's lineup over the season. He picked up nine homers and nine stolen bases with a .683 OPS across 112 games.
Torkelson, the former first overall pick for the Tigers in the 2020 MLB Draft had a rough start to the season and had many questioning his future with the organization. After going .201/.266/.330 before the All-Star break, Torkelson was demoted to Toldeo to make some much-needed adjustments to his game. He returned in August and posted a .945 OPS on the month, primed for a postseason run.
Malloy also found himself bouncing back and forth from Triple-A and the majors, after returning to the big leagues in the September call-ups, He remained on the roster for the Wildcard round.
Meadows joined the club in early July after beginning the year in Toledo. After dealing with a hamstring injury, he has given the Tigers 82 games of great play, especially defensively in the outfield.
Whether the Tigers can escape Texas with an upset over the Houston Astros and make it to NLDS is one thing, but if this season has taught us anything, it’s to not rule them out before the final out is recorded.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said it best when asked about his chances against the former squad he used to oversee “ We're going to continue to be the underdogs, and that has not sucked for us in the last two months."
