BOSTON -- Summer is the season of roller coasters. But as the Tigers’ wild ride in September pulled into the station on Saturday, the rejoice echoed around the tiny visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park.
Was it relief? Was it exhilaration? Was it the champagne?
“I wouldn't say relief. I think it's more job's not finished,” said Jahmai Jones, who logged a decisive two-run single in the Tigers 2-1 win over the Red Sox to finally clinch a postseason berth. “Our whole team thought that we could play into October with how good we were. So I think everybody's under the impression that this wasn't it. This wasn't the goal.
“Obviously, you want to play into October, but we're trying to win a World Series. I think all of us are putting our heads down and really looking forward to October.”
As crazy as the last couple weeks have been for these guys, it’s easy to forget. This is still that team, largely the same group that headed into the All-Star break with MLB’s best record and had a 10-game lead in the American League Central on Sept. 3.
After an eight-game losing streak swung the division standings, Detroit looked like a team that had forgotten how to win.
As Jones stepped to the plate in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs and punched a ground ball through the left side against Red Sox lefty Connelly Early, still in the game in part to keep Kerry Carpenter on the bench, the Tigers looked like that winning team.
“I think in the beginning of the season, we were playing well, but we didn't lock in what we were doing,” said Javier Báez, who followed a game-saving catch in the previous inning by scoring the go-ahead run from second on Jones’ single. “We were having fun and we were playing as a team. Like I said before, everything has to click, the pitching, the hitting, the defense, the baserunning, the men on base. I think we got away a little bit from that in this second half. We'd do either one right, and we didn't mix them together. We were trying but it just didn't happen.
“I think when we stay positive and play our game, we don't try to beat the other team, it's our plan that we worry about. And that's my message to them: We have to play our game. We have to keep our plan.”
The Tigers’ late-season quest isn’t over; they still have a chance at their first AL Central title since 2014. But Saturday’s win ensures they’ll at least have a Wild Card spot, guaranteeing playoff baseball for the second straight season.
Whatever you make of the Tigers’ September swoon that brought a shocking dose of suspense to what seemed like a postseason lock by percentages and play quality, the Tigers have a chance to put their struggles behind them and start anew next week. Just as important for their postseason chances, they clinched a spot without having to pitch Tarik Skubal in Sunday’s regular-season finale, allowing them to line up the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner for Game 1 of their Wild Card Series on Tuesday.
The Tigers have essentially been playing postseason baseball all week, first in a division race with the Guardians, but also trying to hold off the Astros in the Wild Card chase. The wins they banked earlier in the season paid off as they stumbled down the stretch, as did Houston’s late struggles, but winning their way in was the priority on Saturday.
Detroit’s play reflected it, from Báez’s diving catch in shallow left field to holding Boston to a lone run in the second inning, to Báez’s season-best sprint speed rounding third to score on Jones’ single.
“Javy's ball is probably single-handedly the most important play of the game, because of where we were,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We were falling behind. It would've been 2-0. It would've been a taller hill to climb.”
Furthering the sense of priority was Jack Flaherty’s presence in the bullpen in the late innings, turning what would essentially be a between-starts bullpen session for him into a potential relief appearance.
In the end, the Tigers’ second win in 11 games was the one that punched their ticket.
“It's been a challenging month for us, it's no secret,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. “We put together five really good months of baseball, and we came into September for the first time in a long time with expectations in this organization, with a group that's a lot younger than people think these days. And we had some bumps in the road. But I can't tell you how proud I am of this group here, picking themselves off the mat, winning two of three when they really had to, and putting us in a really good position heading into next week.”
Said Hinch: “Our guys earned this celebration, and because of how good we were for the majority of the season, we were able to withstand a really tough stretch and finish with a couple wins on this road trip.”
The Tigers took full advantage to celebrate, and not just players and coaches. Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch, who was famously part of last year’s celebrations, was in the clubhouse again on Saturday, encircled by players as they doused him with beverages. As he cleaned himself up, he turned to Riley Greene.
“It never gets old,” Ilitch said to Greene.
“It never does,” Greene said.