The last time the Tigers visited Kansas City, they were swept out of Kauffman Stadium like dirt in a dugout. In three games, the veteran trio of Javier Baez, Mark Canha and Gio Urshela went 1 for 25. The bullpen allowed 13 hits. The Tigers even lost the final in a match opened by Tarik Skubal. They had a 23-26 record and were gathering dust before June. In the manager’s office after the series, AJ Hinch had to defend his team’s competitive spirit. The Tigers lost all three matches by five runs or more, thoroughly beaten by a promotion-bound opponent. Kansas City is climbing the American League standings a year after losing a team-worst 106 games. The Tigers are sinking to their eighth straight losing season, their fourth straight losing season under Hinch. “Regardless of your record, you have to review what you did well, what you didn’t do well,” Hinch said that May afternoon. “Our pitchers are going through a little And in terms of attack, we haven’t been involved in matches yet.”

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Four months later, Hinch is leading the hottest team in baseball. The Tigers are on a fast track to the playoffs, winning 25 of their last 35 games. They were 9.5 games behind the Twins on August 22 for the final AL wild card spot, also trailing the Mariners, Rays and Red Sox. After sweeping the Royals in their return to Kansas City, they left three teams behind and a half-game behind the Twins.