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Last Time Tigers Did This, They Made the World Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Eric W. Bolin | Last updated May 21, 2025 6:26 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers have spent most of the last decade as one of the worst teams in baseball. Think back a touch further, though, and Detroit was literally one of the best.

From 2015-2023, the Tigers had exactly zero winning seasons. They finished dead last in the American League Central four times in that span. But last year, under manager AJ Hinch, the club turned a corner, finishing 86-76 and making a surprise run to the Ameircan League Divisional Series before falling to the Cleveland Guardians.

This year has been even better. In fact, with Wednesday's 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, the Tigers are treading on territory not seen in almost 20 years.

The victory clinched Detroit's top spot in Major League Baseball and marked the first time since 2006 the Tigers carried the best record in baseball through the first 50 games of a season.

Detroit sits at 33-17, three wins ahead of their closest competitors - the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs - and five wins ahead of their closest AL foe, the New York Yankees.

The 2006 season saw the rise of the Tigers as a staple in American League. They made the World Series that season, losing to the Cardinals, four games to one. A few seasons followed without the postseason, but from 2011-14, they made the playoffs four years in a row, including another World Series appearance in 2012.

Finally, since losing All-Stars Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and Co., Detroit's youth movement is paying dividends. Both the team's offense and defense are ranked in the top five in the sport, ranking fifth in team earned-run average and fifth in OPS.

As of May 19, ace pitcher Tarik Skubal holds the best odds to win the AL Cy Young Award and first baseman Spencer Torkelson carries the sixth best odds to win AL's Most Valuable Player award.

The Tigers next take the field Thursday in the first game of a four-game series against the Guardians, who are 6 1/2 games behind the Tigers in the Central standings.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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