The last time the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers squared off was over two months ago, when Detroit dropped both games of a two-game series shortly after the All-Star break. At that point, the Tigers’ record stood at 52–57, with their odds of making the postseason a meager 0.5%, per FanGraphs. And, well, we all know what happened from there.
Now the two sides will meet again over two months later in a matchup that pits one team that’s been in first place every day since April 14, against another that didn’t seize control of a wild-card spot until the season’s final week. While most casual eyes will be affixed elsewhere for the divisional series—to watch Aaron Judge and the Yankees, Shohei Ohtani’s playoff debut or the impossible-to-kill Mets—the “other” matchup this round has no shortage of intrigue.
