‘A dream come true’: Tigers end long playoff wait
DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers, the hottest team in baseball the last several weeks, earned an AL wild-card berth Friday night to end a decade-long postseason drought.
“This team is pretty dangerous,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. “We got a chance to make some noise in October, and we’re going to keep fighting for the opportunity.”
Detroit clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, who set a modern major league record with their 121st loss.
The Tigers will play at top AL wild card Baltimore or AL West champion Houston in a best-of-three series starting Tuesday. They have been on a tear, winning six straight and 10 of 11 to surge into the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
The Tigers have been on a tear, winning six straight and 10 of 11 to surge into the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Detroit was 55-63 on Aug. 10 — 10 games out of the last wild card — and then went 31-11. During that stretch, the Tigers have the lowest ERA in baseball and the largest run differential.
“It’s been a dream come true,” first baseman Spencer Torkelson said.
With two games left, the Tigers were in position for the second AL wild card, one game ahead of AL Central rival Kansas City, which also clinched a playoff spot Friday while Minnesota was eliminated.
AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal leads Detroit’s rotation and Jason Foley has become a reliable closer in a strong bullpen. He earned his 28th save in the series opener against Chicago.
Riley Greene, an All-Star outfielder, is the team’s top player in a lineup that gets timely hitting from the top to the bottom.
Torkelson, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020, was sent to the minors during the season and bounced back well enough to contribute to the team’s late run.
“That’s what makes it so special, when you do win,” Torkelson said. “It’s not always going to be perfect. You’re not always going to get a hit. You’re not always going to strike the guy out. But just grinding through it and persevering, that’s what makes it so, so special.”
Taking advantage of playing a historically bad team, Detroit broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning of the playoff-clinching win. Jake Rogers scored when Jared Shuster was charged with a wild pitch even though the ball didn’t hit the dirt just below catcher Korey Lee‘s glove.
Greene put Detroit ahead 3-1 with a double in the seventh, and Chicago helped the home team’s cause again later in the inning when Fraser Ellard threw the team’s third wild pitch of the night.
Detroit overcame long odds to reach the postseason. A month ago, the Tigers were 33-1 to make the playoffs at ESPN BET, and their odds to win the World Series were as long as 500-1 in early September at some sportsbooks. On Friday, Detroit was 30-1 to win the World Series at ESPN BET.
“With every player I hugged, I had a flashback to some moment of adversity they faced, or some moment where we challenged them to do something differently and all of these guys did,” Harris said on the field following the game. “They rose to the occasion, and they deserve it. I’m really, really proud of them.”
The Tigers came out of the gates strong in April, winning six of their first seven games in their second full season under Harris and A.J. Hinch’s fourth year as manager. They had a winning record until mid-May, when the team started to slide in the standings.
They appeared to be out of pitching at the end of July when Kenta Maeda was demoted to the bullpen, Casey Mize and Reese Olson were injured and Jack Flaherty was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Each time it looked like the Tigers might rally, they would fail to sustain success and many fans in the state turned their attention to football.
Hinch got creative, rolling with a rotation of Skubal and rookie Keider Montero while relying on the bullpen to pitch entire games such as the series opener against the White Sox in front of 44,435 fans at Comerica Park.
Skubal and Montero have combined to go 11-3 since Aug. 1, but only one other starting pitcher has won a game, and that was Brant Hurter against the Los Angeles Angels a month ago.
The Motor City’s baseball team salvaged the season and revived interest, drawing big crowds after closing recent seasons in a mostly empty ballpark.
“It’s been a long time since this organization was in the playoffs and these fans deserve it,” Harris said.
ESPN’s David Purdum and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is not expected to play against Mississippi State on Saturday, per sources, as the Longhorns staff is expected to sit him out in order for him to be fully healthy for the game against Oklahoma on Oct. 12.
A final decision on Ewers is expected later Saturday, per sources, but the decision is trending toward allowing him to use Texas’ week off following the Mississippi State game to get healthy. Ewers has been considered week-to-week since injuring his oblique against UTSA on Sept. 14.
Ewers finished the week at nearly 70%, as he practiced Tuesday, was limited Wednesday and ended up limited in practice Thursday to allow him to fully heal. Per sources, the Texas coaching staff wanted to give Ewers the extra rest to ensure he’d return at full strength.
The decision means that Texas will against start backup quarterback Arch Manning, who will make his first career start in an SEC game. Manning made his first start against Louisiana Monroe, completing 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards. He had two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Ewers’ oblique injury came in the wake of him displaying one of the season’s best performances at Michigan in Week 2, as he threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout Texas win in Ann Arbor.
Mississippi State enters the game on a three-game losing streak, which includes back-to-back blowout home losses to Toledo and Florida. The Bulldogs are trending toward finishing at the bottom of the SEC, as they have one of the country’s worst defenses. They are No. 111 nationally in total defense and No. 107 in scoring defense.
Mississippi State will also be without its starting quarterback, as starter Blake Shapen is out for the year after suffering a shoulder injury against Florida. Michael Van Buren, a true freshman, will make his first career start for the Bulldogs.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams is a “true game-time decision” for the No. 2 Bulldogs at No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night, according to ESPN sources.
Williams has missed the previous two games with a Grade 2 ankle sprain, which he suffered against Clemson in the opener. He’ll be evaluated in pregame warmups and a decision will be made on his status.
Williams has been limited in practice this week, and it’s expected that if he does play it’ll be at less than 100 percent. He’s also unlikely to play a heavy snap count if he does play, as he’s working his way back.
Williams is a marauding defensive end who is the best player in Georgia’s front seven and is a high-end NFL prospect. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him ranked No. 4 overall player for the 2025 NFL draft.
Williams started the season hot before injuring his ankle against Clemson, as he had two tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures in that game.
They will be an onus on Georgia’s defensive line, especially on the ends, to help slow Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in Tuscaloosa.
Georgia’s defensive line will benefit from the return of senior Warren Brinson, who is listed as probable after missing the past two games. Sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Hall is questionable for the SEC showdown.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Utah quarterback Cam Rising, who has been snakebit by injuries the past two years, is again expected to be a game-time decision against Arizona on Saturday night, sources told ESPN.
Rising has missed No. 10 Utah’s past two games after an injury to his throwing hand that he suffered against Baylor on Sept. 7. He missed all of last season after an ACL tear in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season.
Rising’s status will undergo the same evaluation process with the Utah staff as before the Oklahoma State game last week. He’ll throw the ball pregame, and his ability to deliver spin and velocity on the ball will determine whether he’ll play, per sources.
As Rising has struggled to recover and get back on the field, one factor that could weigh into the decision is the chance to get him back fully healthy in two weeks. Utah has a bye before they play at Arizona State on Oct. 11.
Rising has practiced this week but remained limited as the staff has attempted to rest his finger.
Freshman Isaac Wilson has started the past two weeks, leading the Utes to victories over Utah State in Logan and in Stillwater against the Cowboys.
Wilson has shown both moments of promise and interspersed those with moments that have illuminated his youth. He threw for 207 yards on 17-of-29 passing against Oklahoma State. He also threw two interceptions. He threw for three touchdowns and 239 yards against Utah State.
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