Top 3 Performers For Detroit Tigers in Wild Card Round
The Detroit Tigers were able to pull off an upset in the American League Wild Card Round, as they eliminated the Houston Astros in two games.
Coming into the postseason, the Tigers were one of the hottest teams in baseball. This was always going to be a fun matchup between the young Detroit squad and the veteran Astros, and it didn’t disappoint.
Houston losing will mark the first time in eight years that they won’t be competing for the American League Pennant, as they have appeared in the ALCS seven straight years.
For the Tigers, they will be looking forward to keeping this magical run going against the Cleveland Guardians starting on Saturday. However, there were a lot of big-time performances to beat the Astros. Here are three players who were the top performers for the Tigers in the Wild Card Round.
Will Vest
The bullpen was nothing short of exceptional for Detroit in this series, as manager A.J. Hinch did an excellent job, especially in Game 2 managing the unit. While it isn’t easy to pick just one reliever that did well, the argument can be made for Will Vest being the best.
Vest pitched 2.2 innings in the series, as he recorded the save in Game 2 and a hold in Game 1. Vest’s ability to strikeout batters came in handy for the Tigers, as he recorded five strikeouts in the series.
Hinch’s ability to use relievers in all different types of situations, and his team is buying into that, has made Detroit’s bullpen very dangerous.
Andy Ibanez
Easily the biggest hit in the series came in Game 2, as Andy Ibanez broke it open with a base-clearing double off Josh Hader. The talented lefty is one of the best closers in the game, but a double down the left-field line with the bases loaded sucked the life out of Houston.
Even though Ibanez only had three at-bats in the series, he made a massive impact with his timely hitting, with both of his hits being doubles. Having a bat like that off the bench will be a useful tool in the next round, as Ibanez certainly has the clutch gene.
Tarik Skubal
In his first postseason start, the ace of the Tigers was just that in Game 1. Skubal had an amazing 2024 campaign and dazzled against the Astros. In the win, the southpaw went six innings, allowing just four hits and no earned runs.
Detroit is going to have an advantage over pretty much any team when Skubal is on the mound, as he was the best pitcher in the American League, and arguably the Majors this season. Having their ace perform like he did to start the series likely eased a lot of nerves for the young Tigers, and now this is a team that has confidence heading into the Divisional Round.
