The Detroit Tigers make the Playoffs in 2025

The Detroit Tigers make the Playoffs in 2025

Well, the Tigers end the season on a series loss. However, it is still enough to get them into the postseason. We will talk about everything that comes with that all today on Locked on Tigers. You are Locked on Tigers, your daily Detroit Tigers podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. What is up everybody? Welcome back to another edition of Locked On Tigers. I’m of course your host Scott Bentley. Today is Monday, January. That’s crazy. Monday, September 29th, 2025. Thank you so much for making Lockdown Tigers your first listen. Every single day we are free and available wherever you get your podcasts, including YouTube. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day. Today’s episode is brought to you by 5Hour Energy. Enough with the boring flavorless caffeine. It’s time to give caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5Hour Energy Shots. Go to www.5owerenergy.com or Amazon today. The Detroit Tigers have made the 2025 MLB postseason and that is a reason to celebrate. They do drop the series this weekend to the Boston Red Sox in Fenway. They lose two different games by a score of four to three and then win on Saturday by a score of two to one. The Tigers end the season with an 87 and 75 record when it’s all said and done. They were the fastest team to was were they the quickest to 20? They were definitely the fastest to 30 40 50 60. I think it was just that. I don’t think they were to 20 cuz they actually started off like 0 and3 or 0 and4 or something. So, a collapse. If you haven’t heard, the Tigers did collapse at the end of the season, but they still are playing in October. The Red Sox finished the season 89 and 73. first thought. Um, my first thought, this is almost just like stuff is just at the beginning instead of first thought. I’m not going to talk for 25 minutes about the series itself, okay? Nobody cares. And like I I will talk a little bit about it, the things that I think are noteworthy enough, and we’ll talk about those at the end. But like there is so many different emotions and feelings here with this playoff birth and I want to just dissect what this season was and what we have to look forward to because we are playing meaningful games in October and that’s a win. You did it. You did it. you also did a couple of other historically awful things. And so I think it’s fair to bring all of those up and to be okay with feeling a bunch of mixed emotions, which is kind of where I’m at. Not kind of, it’s definitely where I’m at. Back-toback postseason appearances for the first time since I was like in driver’s ed. Okay. Uh 2013 and 14 I was yeah 15 years old. So like I I’m I’m not going to be upset at back-toback postseason appearances. You also officially blew the largest divisional lead in history of Major League Baseball. Got in as a wild card team. Didn’t win the division. History is yours. I want to start off with I I have zero issue with them popping bottles and celebrating making the postseason. I saw some people online that had an you know were like how could they do this? They they choked to the division away. Why are they even celebrating? The season is 162 games long and they did enough from March to September to make the postseason. The Detroit Tigers have existed for over 120 years and don’t even have 20 playoff appearances. You got in celebrate. I al I also think it is fair to maybe tamper the celebration a bit which I think they did. You you look at the postseason celebration last year right on the field. I mean, it was a home game, which I’m sure matters a little bit, but it was like a big production. It It was like the biggest thing in the world. People were crying. It myself included. Like, it was like a huge, right, the 0.2%, you know, city that doesn’t care about the odds, has a team to match, great Benetti call, like all of this, you know, is fans are, you know, getting like pictures taken on the field. Like, it was a huge thing. This was like, yeah, there’s some high fives and some hugs and and you know, like we clearly are happy and celebrating and the owner and the and the, you know, GM and and and the Pobo are all on the field, but like it it wasn’t like this massive thing on the field where they’re like jumping on top of each other and freaking out and, you know, jumping around either. But you’re in missing the playoffs would have accomplished nothing to me, man. I I I saw so many people that down the stretch were like, “Why even get in?” You know, like I I I hope they miss just be wasting everybody’s time. You know, they’re going to get eliminated in two games anyway. They’re already getting scrutinized by the fans clearly. Okay. They’re already feeling the pressure from the city and nobody was getting fired if they missed the postseason. That was one take. I was like, “Oh, I hope they lose just so that like change actually happens.” No one was getting fired if they missed the postseason. I I I assure you, nobody. They were not firing Scott Harris. They were not going to fire like Jeff Greenberg. If that matters to you, AJ Hinch, they were already working on an extension is the new report. and then rep the extension talks stalled during the slide. I don’t view that as like, oh, you gotta like you better get in or else you’re not getting extended. I view that more as like AJ being like, okay, I’m not talking about this right now. I’m focusing on my job. But to each their own. You may as well go for it is really my point. You You might as well. And and as much as it made me want to projectile vomit everywhere when Scott Harris said it, plenty of teams in Major League Baseball history have been bad in September and made a run. Now, the reason it made me puke when he said it is because again, like I I I have a massive issue with how the trade deadline and the acquisitions on the season during the season were handled. Um so that you know that feels a little bit different. Um, but I like that is true. There are are tons of teams throughout baseball’s history that have limped into the postseason, been terrible in September, blown division leads, been wild card teams, and then turn it around and made postseason runs. They may lose both games 15 to nothing, man. I like I don’t know. But you have a chance. You’re in. You have a chance. They’re playing games for a chance to win a trophy and to win a title for the first time in over 40 years. I would have taken that in a heartbeat in March with this roster. We also don’t know how many postseasons with TK Scubble we have left. I even if our front office says they don’t, I Scott Bentley believe in a scubble window. I believe that this team is more competitive with TK school on its roster than not on its roster. I believe that he makes your team a lot better. And next year is never a guarantee. As we learned for 10 straight years and as we learned this September, you’re playing playoff baseball with the best pitcher in the American League on your team. You have to take advantage of those while you still can. And again, there there’s a lot of different emotions like and and I think it’s okay and like understandable to feel anything. I I I’ve just kind of laid out how I feel. I also have zero issue with the people that aren’t celebrating or aren’t celebrating as much because the team has been awful in September. Their their win percentage in September starts with a two. Dude, it it is it is very bad. They’ve won like three games in three weeks. Like that’s a these are real stats. And there are people that are like, why would I even celebrate? I I don’t think they have a single chance. I get it. I I do not shame you or or shun you. I’m not oozing with confidence either. I’m I’m not pleased because they made the postseason because I think they’re going to win the World Series. But I would rather have a chance than not have a chance. That’s the whole point of all of this. That’s the whole point of the regular season. That’s why we root for our teams. This team went 10 years in a row without playoff baseball. Man, I I I really don’t care if they go undefeated in the first half and lose every single game from the trade deadline to the end of the season. I am not going to be upset at a playoff birth. That doesn’t mean I’m going to pop bottles necessarily every time. As you can see, I’m pleased we’re in. I’m not thrilled with the product we’ve been seeing, but I think both of those things can can pretty easily be true. Okay, I got a lot more to say, which is good. That’s kind of my job. And we will do those things, say those things right after this. First though, got to talk to you about our friends over at 5Hour Energy. Caffeine just got a flavor upgrade. 5-hour energy shots deliver tasty caffeine and 17 bold flavors. Each 2 o shot packs the caffeine of a premium 12 ounce cup of coffee plus B vitamins and nutrients with zero sugar and zero crashes. What I love most is how portable they are to be honest. Big taste, tiny shot, and you can take it anywhere and get that boost when you need it. I always reach for honestly like a handful of different flavors. I think there’s a lot because they’re refreshing, they’re good, and they give me that quick energy boost throughout the day. So, enough with the boring flavorless caffeine. 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We of course will be back tomorrow previewing the series against the Cleveland Guardians in the wildard round that will be in Cleveland starting on Tuesday. Today though, we talk about the series that was and the series that got the Tigers into the postseason and all the different thoughts and and kind of feelings and emotions on how we got here. Um, as I said before the break, uh, there there’s a lot of different feelings and and along with the good is also obviously the bad. Again, you also blew the largest division elite in MLB history and did it with a lot of nothing at the deadline. like it really was Finnegan and then not a another really I mean you could argue a single other like impact acquisition and you had the best record in the American League at that time. That is infuriating to me. I I’m not sure I will ever get over that. I I I think you know 60 years from now, God willing I’m still alive. I I’m still going to be thinking about 2025. This team had the best record in baseball and the best record in the American League at different points in July. They got to the deadline and did nothing. Man, that is wins left on the table as far as I’m concerned. And if they do lose quickly and severely in the postseason, then I will drive that point home even further and be even more upset about it. Your clutch hitting for a month has sucked. Your best players on offense are all sliding. They have all been hitting very poorly for a month. Your bullpen is I mean pretty objectively in my eyes not built for the postseason based on history and what we usually see postseason bullpens look like. You don’t know if you have any trustworthy starters outside of Terk Scooel. You don’t know if you have a trustworthy bullpen outside of Vest and Finnegan. And you don’t I mean you can even kind of throw vest in the untrustworthiness category for postseason baseball. We’ll see. And you also have zero clue if the offense is going to randomly decide to wake up again and if you’re going to be able to score any runs really off of postseason pitching. Cleveland’s been the best pitching team in baseball for a month now. But you get to find out. Maybe we’ll be furious, right? Maybe we’ll be absolutely furious. A and in three days from now, I I’ll be red in the face and talking about what a waste of time this all was and whatever. Again, I don’t have high hopes for this team in the postseason, but you give yourself a chance and and we will take it. Again, that is the whole point of all of this. I also want to talk about punting on Sunday, which really bothered people. Um, I I certainly agree for starters to not pitch Scooble. No matter what you think of, you know, playing Green and Tolesson, whatever, it’s just not even remotely worth it to pitch TKO. Uh, you you can pitch Scooble, get the win, still not have home field advantage, and then you don’t get to use him in the wild card. It makes zero sense. So, I want to start off with that. It is kind of interesting to me that people were up in arms over not like putting the best foot forward on Sunday despite the fact that Cleveland won anyways. Um like like Cleveland ended up winning. Uh so like yeah that that’s why they didn’t. Um I had zero issue with it genuinely. Not even when the lineup was announced I had zero issue with it. Um, if the Tigers won, they won on Sunday. They would be instead going to New York and they’d be playing the Yankees in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Instead, they’ll face Cleveland in Cleveland yet again. Like, I I understand the Demons you’re fighting with Cleveland and whatnot, and you can’t beat them in a meaningful series. I understand that, but you aren’t getting homefield advantage anyways, even if you did win on Sunday, because again, Cleveland won anyway. So, I think you’re really kind of splitting hairs between like would you rather give your guys a day off that they like I don’t know in my eyes pretty clearly desperately need in order to face a team that has a better record than Cleveland. The Yankees are are for all intents and purposes a better team and a better roster and you’re on the road still and maybe a a more intense environment in Yankee Stadium. I don’t know. Like I I I’m not saying if they pulled the Yankees that my message here would be any different. It would be pretty much copy and paste the exact same. I’m just saying that I don’t think there was upside in playing our stars in this game. And that like people were freaking out because it ended up being close and why are you not pinch hitting? Uh they he gave them a day off. This was not an optional oh you’re not going to start but we might use you guy. They they weren’t even in their jerseys guys. Like Dylan Dingler was in a t-shirt and like sweats. Like they they were not playing. You’re not going to go tell them, “Hey, go dress. This game’s actually close. Go put your jersey on. You might be pinch hitting in an inning.” And again, I know some people disagree with that and and I I I totally get it. I just didn’t have a problem with it. [Music] And even if Cleveland lost, I I would not have a problem with how Sunday was handled to be honest with you. The the reason why if to put it and then we’ll move on and put it in like the simplest terms is you did not have control of your own destiny. It’s really as simple as that. The fact that you could have won 50 to one. Riley Green could have had eight home runs. Torqulson could have gone 10 for 10. Carrie Carpenter could have gone 12 for 12. and you still could have not gotten home field is why they didn’t play their starters. If they controlled their own destiny, they probably would have. It’s okay. And I think they could use the extra day off to be completely honest with you from just rest, mental and physical, and also, you know, prevent injury in a game that really didn’t mean a whole lot. What went wrong? Now that we’ve spent 20 minutes talking about stuff and everything kind of around this, let’s talk about what went wrong for the weekend. The offense Sunday, I don’t care about again, you did not put your best foot forward. That was not a lineup we will ever see again. I don’t really care. Friday, you went three for 13 with runners in scoring position. Riley Green, I think by himself, had like eight lob eight runners left on while he was in the batters box. You will lose very quickly in the postseason if Carpenter Green and Tolson do not show up in high leverage situations. You will you will be out in two games. 72 hours from now, we’ll be talking about how the Tigers are eliminated if those three guys don’t get their bleep together. Okay. Green and Carpenter specifically have been brutal in high leverage situations for the better part of two months now. Torlson’s not exactly lighting the world on fire either. The bullpen on Friday you gave up runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth inning. You had a lead and then you gave up runs in three the the final three consecutive innings of the ball game. That is textbook definition. Too thin of a bullpen in high leverage games. I have for I was going to say for starters 22 minutes into the show. Goodness. I will also say that I did not have an issue with going to Tommy Kanley. The reason why is again I think on Scott Harris. I’ve been very critical of this deadline. I will continue to do so. You already pitched Finnegan. You are obviously saving Will Vest for a save situation because you’re the road team. So, you’re going to need to put best out there if you get a lead at some point in extras to pitch the bottom of that frame. You did not have that. The rest of your bullpen is just completely untrustworthy. You want to go to Raphael Montero. Yeah. I I guess you could have gone to Holton to to face I mean like Duran had a a hit. He’s a lefty, right? Like that’s the one criticism I could find. But not going to vest, I I I just I don’t really see that you you were never going to go to him until the bottom of an inning where you had a lead. Yeah. Word. Um what else? I think that’s kind of it. the pitching outside of that starting pitching this weekend I should say um I thought was pretty good. Well, not again I’m not even including Sunday as like a game that was played this year. Chris Baddock was not good. He hasn’t been good really for almost all of his Tigers tenure. I I don’t I’m not counting that. They just needed innings from somebody that wasn’t going to be a factor on the playoff roster. And I think that that’s probably Chris Paddock. What went right? We’ll talk about that right after this. Got to talk to you about our friends over at Neutrifall. You’ve probably seen a million ads for hair growth and hair growth products and thought, “Sure, like that actually works.” There are so many products out there and it’s hard to know which ones are actually going to do anything. That’s why you should give Neutrifall a closer look. Neutrifol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by one of over one trusted by over one and a half million people. Goodness gravy. Now Neutrifall is the official hair growth partner of Major League Baseball. You can feel great about what you’re putting into your body. 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Like I I I mentioned that you’re not going to go on a postseason run without those guys in the middle of the lineup stepping up. That is very true. I think fairly obviously very true. You also need players like this to step up. Like it it feels like a Captain Obvious statement. You’re going to need lineup depth. You’re not just going to need, you know, the the bottom of the lineup or the very top of the lineup. You’re also not just going to need the middle of the lineup. You need guys like this. You’re going to need Zack McKinstry to play even close to what he did in the first half. You’re going to need guys like Jamai Jones to stay hot and be weapons against lefties. You’re going to need guys like Andy Abanz who also had a great weekend. Got on base what four times and had a stolen base on Sunday and played first base. Um Hinge plays matchup ball man and like Abanz and and I guess Jamai Jones as well are going to be factors in the postseason. They’re going to have meaningful high leverage at bats in the postseason if the pitching can hold up. They will get opportunities to leave their mark. And like Abanz is a great example of, you know, why if if there’s any reason to have hope, you know, that’s a guy that down the stretch last year was was brutal. Like how quickly we forget, you know, he was amazing in the first half last year, um the last month or two of the season last year, Andy Abanz was was ice cold. still was on the postseason roster and then had one of the biggest hits of the last 10 years of Tiger baseball off of Josh her in a playoff game like that. These are the guys that that will again as evidenced by a year ago have high leverage situations and um the bat’s going to be in their hands in the postseason and they need to step up as well. I want to give credit to the starting pitching. We already talked a little bit about it, but Kater Montero, four and a third, five hits, one earn run, no walks, seven strikeouts, got the hangover game. So, not a great lineup out there, but he was fantastic. The slider was elite like that. That might be the best slider he has ever had in a start that I’ve seen from him. Um, as far as like location, the stuff is pretty consistent with him. Um, but the command was great in this one. I’m so happy for him that he was the starter in the game where the Tigers clinched. That’s such an awesome moment. He also ends the season with a 437 erra, which is kind of frustrating just in a good way for him. It’s frustrating because you look at the deadline acquisitions that were made and you go, “Okay, he’s going to end the season with like a run better in his erra than Morton and Paddock. That’s disgusting.” Okay. But good for Kater Montero. Good. Yeah, I I think that there’s a chance that he’s a multi-ining reliever on the postseason roster, and that’s something we’ll talk, like I said, a lot more about tomorrow. But the star of the weekend to me is Casey M. And and it’s really disappointing that it it like they didn’t even win that ball game. Um but six and a third, six hits, two earned runs, no walks, eight strikeouts. We went into this game terrified that this team was going to find a way to miss the postseason altogether. Casey Mai put his his his his guts on the table, we’ll say, okay, to keep it PG. A, and absolutely put together one of the best starts of his season and honestly, one of the best starts I’ve seen from him in quite some time. I thought he was fantastic, man. That is exactly what this team needed. Not only in that moment, was for any starting pitcher not named Scooble to step up. That’s exactly what this team needs in the postseason. They’re going to need someone else to start a meaningful game. I I I mean, the splitter was incredible. The fast ball was incredible. His slider was maybe the best I have ever seen from him. Sliders against righties, splitters against lefties. He was absolutely dynamic and I am praying that he can replicate that kind of stuff in command in a postseason setting because that’s what this team’s going to need to get past the wild card round. All right, that’s pretty much it. Uh Tigers play the Guardians, like I said, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then if needed, Thursday, all are going to be 100 p.m. games, which I hate, but we’ll talk about that a little bit more tomorrow. I it’s so lame that there’s playoff games that happen 1:00 in the afternoon on a weekday, but um I I understand they got to get, you know, all of these series done by by the weekend. Um we’ll end on this. I I understand a lot of people are still upset. Um and and this is maybe like the least amount of hype that has been surrounding a playoff team like ever. Okay, which I kind of say like tongue and cheek, but also like maybe not. But you are playing the most meaningful games of the calendar year. You made it. You did it. Enjoy it. Okay. We We suffered as a fan base for too long to be like nitpicky about which playoff games we’re going to enjoy and which ones we’re not. You have Scooble in game one, one of the best pitchers on the planet. If you get out to a one lead, then you’re in the driver’s seat and who knows what happens after that. You already made it. Why not try to win? There’s a great quote that I love in Angels in the Outfield, which is a a baseball movie from the 90s for those who maybe are are too young or not familiar. One of my favorite movies of my childhood. Okay. And one of the the main characters, one of the main kids in the movie consistently throughout the movie says, “It could happen. That’s where we’re at.” Does anyone have a ton of faith? No. But you’re one of the 12 teams. What? 12. How many teams are in the postseason now? 16. You’re one of the 16 teams left. You’re one of the eight teams left in the American League. That’s not right either. 12. Yeah, 12. We got it right the first time. You’re one of the six teams left in the American League. Six teams. You you play you play all of this. Six teams make it in each league. You are one of them. You have a chance. I know this is like this is like wow. He he feel he has no confidence that this team’s going to do anything. Like I’m I’m not selling you on like the players or on how they’ve been playing lately or how they played this weekend and the final weekend of the season. I’m selling you on like hope and a dream. I I understand that. I I I’m I’m more so trying to reiterate the point that don’t be upset that they are in the postseason. That’s all I’m trying to say. You be a fan however you want to be a fan. I I’ve always said said that and always will. Um just from where I’m sitting, I’m not going to be upset at postseason baseball for the second year in a row. Okay. Please don’t get crushed in the first two games and we’ll preview the series tomorrow. Thanks for making Lockdown Tigers your first listen every single day. Hey, shout out to the everydayers that do tune in every day. And we will of course be back tomorrow with that episode as promised. Peace and love. Going to therapy is dope. I’ll catch y’all then, baby. Go Tigers.

Today we discuss the Detroit Tigers clinching a playoff berth for the 2025 season. We talk Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene, and more!

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