Breaking down why Detroit Tigers pitcher Troy Melton features ‘elite stuff’
On “Days of Roar,” Nick Pollack — founder of “Pitcher List” — evaluates Detroit Tigers rookie Troy Melton, who misses bats with his fastball.
It’s official: the Detroit Tigers are heading to the playoffs. Their opponent and location are less-than-official at this point, however.
The Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-1, at Fenway Park in Boston on Saturday, Sept. 27, to clinch their second consecutive postseason berth. But with the Cleveland Guardians tied with the Tigers atop the American League Central standings, there remain many possibilities for the Tigers opponent and location for their upcoming wild-card series.
The Tigers can clinch the No. 3, No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the AL playoffs, and all of them would lead to a first-round series. The Tigers would host the series should they win the division, giving them the No. 3 seed, and would go on the road should they earn a No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
But how exactly would they clinch those spots? Let’s break down the Tigers’ 2025 MLB playoff possibilities and opponents they could play.
How the Tigers could get the No. 3 seed
With the Tigers tied with the Guardians in the AL Central race (after Cleveland’s walk-off banger-by-pitch to lock up a playoff berth), and the Guardians owning the season-series tiebreaker over the Tigers, Cleveland occupies the AL’s No. 3 seed and would host the wild-card series if the season ended right today. But the Tigers can still win the Central.
In order for the Tigers to grab that No. 3 seed, the following two things need to happen:
- The Tigers win their final game against the Boston Red Sox (3:05 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit).
- The Guardians lose their finale to the Texas Rangers in Cleveland (3:10 p.m.).
Who the Tigers would play as the No. 3 seed is pretty clear:
- If the Guardians lose, they go to Detroit as the No. 6 seed.
How the Tigers could get the No. 5 seed
If the Guardians and the Tigers do the same thing – win-win, or lose-lose – then Cleveland would grab the No. 3 seed and homefield in the first round.
But who they play would depend on what the Tigers did in Boston:
If the Tigers beat the Red Sox, they’re the No. 5 seed and would face the second-place finisher from the AL East (either the Toronto Blue Jays or the New York Yankees, with the Jays having the tiebreaker for the division). The Tigers and Red Sox would have the same record, with the Tigers owning the season series, 5-1.
If the Tigers lose to the Red Sox, they’re the No. 6 seed and return to Cleveland for the third time this year. (They swept the Guardians in July, but lost two of three earlier this week.)
How the Tigers could get the No. 6 seed
If the Tigers lose their last game, then the Tigers would fall to the No. 6 seed (regardless of what Cleveland does).
In that scenario, they would travel to Cleveland to face the Guardians in the wild-card series beginning on Tuesday.
AL playoff bracket
Through Saturday’s evening games, standings via USA TODAY Sports:
- 1. Blue Jays, 93-68
- 2. Mariners, 90-70*
- 3. Guardians, 87-74
- 4. Yankees, 93-68
- 5. Red Sox, 88-73
- 6. Tigers, 87-74
*still playing
MLB postseason schedule 2025
Here’s the schedule for the start of the 2025 MLB playoffs. All wild-card games are hosted by division winner or wild-card team with better record.
- Tuesday, Sept. 30: Wild-card round Game 1s.
- Wednesday, Oct. 1: Wild-card round Game 2s.
- Thursday, Oct. 2: Wild-card round Game 3s (if necessary).
- Saturday, Oct. 4: ALDS and NLDS Game 1s.
AL Central standings
Standings entering Sunday’s final regular-season game:
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
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