Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers Postseason History

Detroit’s sports history is a proud one, with so many championships and so many legendary players representing the city. The Detroit Tigers play a strong role in that history, with their Major League Baseball postseason track record making them a very formidable team over the years when the calendar hits October.

Tigers fans were treated to some incredible baseball in the 2010s, when the team made the playoffs in four straight years, including three straight appearances in the American League Championship Series. Those teams were led by elite pitching and hitting, with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer both being on one of the better pitching staffs in that portion of Major League Baseball history. Both Verlander and Scherzer won Cy Young awards during the team’s run of ALCS appearances from 2011 to 2013, making it very difficult to score on the Tigers in a playoff series.

Offensively, those Tigers teams had Miguel Cabrera to anchor them. Cabrera, an all-time great talent, won multiple MVP awards during this run, and had a triple crown to his name as well. Given how rare the triple crown is in baseball, teams pitched around Cabrera during that era. As a result, Cabrera reached base over a third of the time in the playoffs from 2011 to 2013, scoring 16 runs as a product of being put on base so many times.

The Tigers have had a rivalry with the New York Yankees since the start of the 21st century, with several playoff battles taking place between the two teams. And, unlike so many teams that have taken on the Yankees over the years, the Tigers are one of the few teams to have success against the Yankees in October.

Detroit has faced the Yankees in the playoffs on many occasions since the year 2000, and have won more often than they have lost. In 2006, they started their postseason with a win over the Yankees in the Division Series. They beat the Yankees in the Division Series again in 2011, before reaching the World Series by sweeping the Yankees in the 2012 American League Championship Series.

Tigers fans have been able to enjoy several World Series titles, with stars like Alan Trammel, Denny McClain, and Hank Greenberg propelling the team to the ultimate glory in the baseball postseason.