Detroit Tigers Finally Looking Like Old Selves When it Matters Most

The postseason is faring well for the Detroit Tigers so far.

Oct 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) celebrates with third baseman Zach McKinstry (39) after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

It was sure hard for fans to deal with the Detroit Tigers team that was taking the field these last couple of months. When October came there was a lot of concern surrounding which Tigers squad was going to show up — the one that started the regular year off or the one who finished it.

Watching the Cleveland Guardians steal the AL Central in an historic fashion was tough enough to swallow, but to draw them in the first round was an even more daunting idea. The Guardians had all of the momentum in the world while the Tigers were coming off of a seven-win September.

But, this is the same roster that was the first in baseball to 30-wins this season, then 40, then 50, and then 60. This team is more than capable of making a deep run this postseason as it appears that diamonds really do form under pressure.

It isn't Perfect, but it's Working

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Guardians really weren't who the Tigers were excited to face off with to start the postseason. They had already played each other six times in the two weeks prior with a lone victory under their belts AND had to go into Cleveland since the team not only lost the AL Central title, but the home field advantage that came with it.

In a year full of highs and lows one player was a constant light that the team needed to keep going and that was starting pitcher Tarik Skubal. Skubal kicked things off in a dominating fashion with a 14 strikeout victory and well, let's be honest, if the Tigers couldn't win that game there wasn't much hope moving forward.

Now despite having a historically poor performance in terms of runners getting in, the Tigers were still able to prevail over the Guardians. The team still left plenty of runners stranded (1-for-15 in game two alone), but at the end of the wild card, it was the Tigers who advanced.

ZACH McKINSTRY IS #BUILTFOROCTOBER pic.twitter.com/4jFOJnd82o

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) October 5, 2025

The Tigers earned a trip to take on the AL West victors in the divisional series, the Seattle Mariners. Detroit took the opener of game one in a dramatic finish as the pair had to dual for 11 innings before a walk-off single from Zach McKinstry put the Tigers on top of the game and a 1-0 lead in the series.

The Tigers had quietly fallen off as it appeared that they could have been knocked out of the postseason all together. However, it isn't how they got here all that matters is that they are here and the team is taking advantage of the opportunity.