During game two of the American League wildcard game between the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian made an interesting claim. He stated the turning point in the Tigers’s season was their win in Williamsport in front of a bunch of little leaguers.
Inside Look at the Game
On August 18 in the state of Pennsylvania, the Tigers beat the Yankees 3-2. It was a quality start by Tigers ace Tarik Skubal of Hayward, California, who only gave up three hits, one earned run and four walks, to go along with five strikeouts. The Tigers relievers were also very effective, as Brenan Hanifee of Harrisonburg, Virginia, Will Vest of Houston, Texas, Shelby Miller of Round Rock, Texas and Beau Brieske of Chandler, Arizona did not give up an earned run.
Detroit tied the game at one in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two out, Tigers third baseman Jace Jung of San Antonio, Texas hit a significant RBI single which scored second baseman Colt Keith of Zanesville, Ohio. Then after the Yankees went up 2-1, pinch hitter Zach McKinstry of Toledo, Ohio, and center fielder Parker Meadows of Atlanta, Georgia hit RBI singles for the Tigers in the bottom of the 10th inning in a one-run victory.
What have the Tigers achieved since the win?
At the time of the Tigers win, they had a record of 61 wins and 64 losses. Since August 19, they have had a record of 25 wins and 12 losses for a winning percentage of .676. Detroit went from being three games below .500 to 10 games above .500 at 86 wins and 76 losses.
During the stretch, the Tigers swept the Chicago White Sox from August 23 to 26. In these four games, the Tigers outscored the White Sox 33-13. Detroit then swept the Kansas City Royals in a key American League Central Division matchup in the middle of September, and then the Tampa Bay Rays in the second final series of the season.
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