Tigers make history with season-opening sweep of White Sox

It was a historic weekend for the Detroit Tigers, which opened their 2024 season with a sweep of the White Sox. It's the first time the Tigers have started 3-0 since 2016.

In Detroit, the 3-0 stretch is a massive moment for a Tigers team that hasn't had a winning record since 2016 and hasn't had a fast start yet in the A.J. Hinch era. 

With a 1-0 Opening Day win, a 7-6 extra-innings win on Saturday and a 3-2 win on Sunday, the sweep also marked the first time in franchise history that the team has started the year with three straight one-run wins.

Talk about clutch pitching (especially from the bullpen), timely hitting and situational baseball — the Tigers flashed all of that over the weekend.

That was the thought behind this team going into the season, after all. The Tigers weren't expected to be a powerhouse, rather, they were posited to be scrappy and balanced. The roster blends a nice mix of veterans such as Gio Urshela and Mark Canha to go along with potential budding stars in first baseman Spencer Torkelson, outfielder Riley Greene and outfielder/designated hitter Kerry Carpenter. 

And that's not to mention two potential game-changing rookies in second baseman Colt Keith and center fielder Parker Meadows.

Throw in a starting rotation led by Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal and a bullpen that was absolutely filthy over opening weekend, and this is a Tigers team that can do some damage — in a scrappy way.

“We’ll play our 27 outs, and we’ll play 30, if we have to,” Hinch said on Sunday, per Jason Beck. “We will play the whole game, and it looks like this team is pretty resolute to find a way. And that’s a good way to start the season.”