They're in.
The Detroit Tigers ' magic number was 1 entering Friday night, and they took care of business with a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park to clinch their first playoff berth since 2014 . They scored two runs in the fifth inning, and added a pair in the seventh thanks to timely hitting and a poor performance by Chicago's bullpen.
Here's how the Tigers sealed their 17th postseason trip in their history .
Tyler Holton walked Miguel Vargas but didn't give up a hit before Jason Foley relieved him at the top of the ninth and the White Sox facing two outs.
Wenceel Pérez clinched the win by locating a flyout to right field by Vaughn, making the catch as he collided with Meadows to draw a roar from Comerica Park as the team made the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
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Ibáñez put the Tigers in position with a sharp line drive to center, leading to a triple after Dominic Fletcher committed a fielding error. White Sox pitcher Fraser Ellard, who relieved Shuster at the top of the inning, intentionally walked Vierling before giving up a double to Greene, who hit the ball against the back wall and scored Ibáñez.
A wild pitch by Ellard later struck the catcher's shin before bouncing up and off of his helmet, allowing Vierling to score for the Tigers' fourth run of the night and advancing Greene to advance to third. Ellard then walked Malloy, but Pérez popped out to 2nd and Torkelson lined out to third after Ellard was relieved by Enyel De Los Santos.
Zach DeLoach got the White Sox on the board in the 6th with a bomb to right field, trimming Detroit's lead to one after the Tigers broke a 0-0 tie in the 5th. A highlight by Riley Greene for Chicago's third out nearly ended in disaster, as Parker Meadows jumped over Greene to avoid a collision as he completed the sliding catch.
Shuster ended the inning on a strong note for Chicago after a rough start, striking out Sweeney and Rogers to bring the game to the 7th.
The White Sox ace's night ended after four innings, and he finished with six strikeouts, three hits and a walk. He was relieved by Jared Shuster, and the game immediately turned in the Tigers' favor. Shuster walked Jake Rogers, gave up a single to center field on a fly to Parker Meadows, and then walked Andy Ibáñez to load the bases.
The Tigers finally picked up their first run of the night after a wild pitch by Shuster allowed Rogers to reach home plate. Their second run promptly followed, when a sacrifice fly to left field by Matt Vierling scored Meadows and advanced Ibáñez to third. Shuster managed to strike out Justyn-Henry Malloy to bring the 5th to a close.
Riley Greene singled to center on a line drive for Detroit's third hit of the night, and the Tigers then loaded the bases after a fielding error put Wenceel Perez on base, and Crochet walked Torkelson. With three on base and two outs, Sweeney had an opportunity to give the Tigers a lead after a four-inning stalemate.
Sweeney got contact but ended up grounding out, with shortstop Nicky Lopez finding first baseman Gavin Sheets right as a spirited run by Sweeney fell just short.
The White Sox moved their ace Garrett Crochet's start from Thursday to Friday, giving them their best shot at spoiling a potentially historic night for the Tigers. Crochet's done his part thus far, making quick work of the Tigers in the third with a sequence of strikes.
The Tigers returned the favor at the top of the 4th. Parker Meadows outed Andrew Benintendi and Andrew Vaughn on back-to-back at-bats, the second being a fly-out that Meadows lost in the sun. He still managed to make the catch. Gavin Sheets then grounded out to Torkelson, who quickly found Hurter at first base.
A.J. Hinch stuck with his strategy of opening with a reliever , but the Tigers were unable to capitalize on a solid start by Brenan Hanifee, who gave up one hit and zero runs through the first two innings. Spencer Torkelson singled on a live drive to centerfield at the bottom of the second, the Tigers' second hit of the evening. But Trey Sweeney proceeded to ground into a double play to bring the inning to a close.
Brant Hurter replaced Hanifee at the top of the third.
The matchup: Tigers (85-74) vs. White Sox (39-120)
When: 6:40 p.m. Friday.
Where: Comerica Park in Detroit.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit. (Have Xfinity but looking for a cheaper way to watch BSD? Here are some other options .)
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; Tigers radio affiliates ).
Probable pitchers: Tigers RHP Brenan Hanifee (1-1, 1.98 ERA) vs. White Sox LHP Garrett Crochet (6-12, 3.68 ERA).
First-pitch weather: Partly cloudy, 72 degrees, 15 mph winds with gusts up to 30 mph.
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Tigers lineup:
1. Andy Ibáñez (2B)
2. Matt Vierling (3B)
3. Riley Greene (LF)
4. Justyn-Henry Malloy (DH)
5. Wenceel Pérez (RF)
6. Spencer Torkelson (1B)
7. Trey Sweeney (SS)
8. Jake Rogers (C)
9. Parker Meadows (CF)
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers beat White Sox, 4-1: Game recap, highlights from rowdy playoff clincher
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