What's the absolute best kind of hit? A grand slam, you might say. I suppose, yeah, objectively, that's right. But after Andy Ibáñez knocked a bases-loaded double into the left corner pocket in the eighth inning of a tied Tigers-Astros game on Wednesday, Tigers fans might disagree. With the bases-clearing two-bagger, they received beat after beat of great news: the suspenseful declaration that the ball was fair, and then the dramatic build of an incrementally larger lead. "One run scores! ... Two runs score! ... Evvvvvverybody scores!" It was as good as it gets, and so was the rest of the afternoon for the Detroiters, as Houston went 1-2-3, 1-2-3 to eject themselves from the postseason barely 24 hours after it began.
As the Tigers closed the year 24-10 to vault into the playoffs, this once-mediocre team has piled up scores of perfect-in-the-moment hits. While I'd give more credit to their sturdy bullpen than their ultimately average lineup for the team's ability to eke out close wins, the Tigers have been defined by the dramatic RBI. I'm thinking about the 10th-inning combination broken-bat bloop/seeing-eye single that helped the team sweep the Royals in KC two weeks ago. Or Riley Greene instantly grabbing the lead in the 10th against the Orioles after Beau Brieske had Houdinied out of a defeat in the bottom of the ninth. Or best of all, a comeback against the Rays last Thursday, which was as simple as single, walk, single, sac fly but nevertheless cemented the idea in my head that There Might Be Something About This Team.
Ever since summer began to fade, the Tigers have become a squad that manufactures the outcomes they need, one way or another. Ibáñez's pinch-hit double was just the latest. The hit that will deliver Motown its first home playoff game since 2014 will live on as a testament to this team's newfound optimism, and, yes, its grit.
“He’s literally pacing in the dugout,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Ibáñez afterward. “And as soon as the lefty did as much as pick up a ball, Andy’s got his helmet on and he’s ready.”
The Tigers now face AL Central winners Cleveland, a team they went 6-7 against this year but haven't faced since July, back when they were The Old Tigers. As much as you can predict any five-game series, this one should be low-scoring, with each team's ability to limit runs vastly exceeding its own ability to produce baserunners. That would mean clutch hits carry the day. With the best bullpen in the bigs, you'd like the Guardians' chances in this scenario. But Detroit doesn't want to hear the odds.
