DETROIT – It’s the final day of the regular season, and we’re about to find out who the Detroit Tigers are playing in the first round of the playoffs.
The Tigers clinched a playoff spot with their win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night, but their opponent and destination in the wild card round have yet to be determined.
READ: Tigers complete epic resurgence to clinch first playoff bid in 10 years
Possible wild card matchups
There are two possible first-round matchups for the Tigers: the Orioles or the Astros.
As the division winner with the fewest wins in the AL, the Astros locked up the No. 3 seed earlier in the week. They’ll host whichever team ends up with the third and final wild card spot.
Baltimore is slotted into the top wild card spot, so the second wild card team will travel to face the Orioles.
Games that matter Sunday
There are two games that will determine which matchup the Tigers land.
If the Tigers beat the White Sox on Sunday and/or if the Braves beat the Royals, then the Tigers will get the second wild card spot and head to Baltimore.
If both the Tigers lose and the Royals win, the Tigers will head to Houston, since Kansas City owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Either way, the wild card round is a best-of-three series, and the Tigers will be on the road for all three (or two) games.
Here’s a simple breakdown:
- Tigers win + Royals win: Tigers go to Baltimore.
- Tigers win + Royals loss: Tigers go to Baltimore.
- Tigers loss + Royals loss: Tigers go to Baltimore.
- Tigers loss + Royals win: Tigers go to Houston.
Divisional round matchups
Let’s say the Tigers advance past the wild card round. We already know the second round matchups, too.
The New York Yankees have secured the No. 1 seed in the American League, so if the Tigers beat the Orioles in the wild card round, they’ll head to New York for the divisional round.
If the Tigers beat the Astros in the wild card round, they’ll head to Cleveland for the divisional round. The Guardians earned the No. 2 seed in the AL.
The divisional series games begin on Saturday, Oct. 5.
