DETROIT (WXYZ) — For the first time in a decade, the Detroit Tigers are heading to the playoffs, and their road to the World Series starts in Houston.
After the Tigers lost the season finale to the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals won their final game, the Tigers (86-76) will head to Houston to take on the Astros in a three-game series. The winner of that series will take on the Cleveland Guardians, the AL Central champions.
Detroit has a 2-4 record against the Astros this season and they haven't seen Houston since mid-June. They took one game each on the road and at home against Houston.
Here is the breakdown of the games.
- May 10 - 5-2 loss
- May 11 - 8-2 win
- May 12 - 9-3 loss
- June 14 - 4-0 loss
- June 15 - 13-5 win
- June 16 - 4-1 loss
The Tigers have been one of the best stories in all of baseball, going on a miraculous run after previously being eight games under .500 in mid-August (55-63). The Tigers finished the season strong, posting a 31-13 in their final 44 games to clinch a postseason spot earlier this weekend.
WATCH: Inside the Tigers clubhouse; player interviews as they celebrate playoff berth
WATCH: 'It's amazing': Fans celebrate Detroit Tigers clinching spot in the playoffs
The Houston Astros have been one of the most dominant teams in baseball over the last half decade, winning the World Series in 2017 and 2022, and making it to the ALCS every season since 2017. A.J. Hinch, currently the manager of the Tigers, won a World Series managing the Astros in 2017.
In the series, the Tigers will likely face one of the franchise's best former pitchers in Justin Verlander, a future Hall of Famer who pitched with the Tigers for parts of 13 seasons. Verlander was on both of the last two Tigers teams to make it to the World Series (2006 & 2012). Verlander was traded to the Astros in 2017 for three prospects; the only prospect still with the Tigers is Jake Rogers, the team's starting catcher.
