Detroit has surprised many people. At the July all-star break, the Tigers were three games under .500 and inconsistent at the batting position. A lot of things have to go right for playoff baseball to return to the Motor City in 2024. Since the midseason break, the Tigers have the best record in the American League with an overall record of 80-73 and are tied with the Minnesota Twins for last place in the race for the playoffs. What was once considered a distant prospect is now slowly approaching for the “Gritty Tigs,” as their fans call them. “It really shows that you can’t rule out any Detroit team,” said sophomore international relations major Tarik Fermin. “That’s what the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons are all about, that’s what the ‘Megatron’ Lions are all about. You can’t count out Detroit.”

Gritty Tigs Detroit Tigers Sweatshirt

Detroit has not participated in the baseball playoffs in ten years, their most recent appearance in October coming against Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander in 2014 before being defeated by the Baltimore Orioles in the division series. For fans, seeing the Tigers return to the playoffs would mean a lot. Detroit fans got a taste of what the playoffs can bring to a city earlier this year, when the Lions won their first playoff game in 32 years, bringing the city together and gives the world a chance to see Detroit in a positive light. Much of the baseball community eliminated Detroit as a contender after the team’s slow start. During the first few months of the season, the Tigers seemed to be moving in the opposite direction of their wishes. Even most Tigers fans don’t see the playoff push.