The Detroit Tigers are headed to the postseason for the first time since 2014 .
Needing one win to clinch, the Tigers took the lead in the fifth inning and never looked back for a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Comerica Park .
They did it in front of a sellout crowd 44,435 strong.
"This place, they're going to support you when you're down," manager A.J. Hinch said. "The last few years have been tough. It's exceeded expectations because of their patience and their belief and their support. I can't imagine it getting better, but I bet it can, because this city responds to teams like ours."
Now that the Tigers have earned one of three American League wild-card spots , the final two games of the regular season only matter for seeding purposes.
The postseason begins Tuesday, where the Tigers will play either the third-seeded Houston Astros or the fourth-seeded Baltimore Orioles (who clinched the top wild-card spot with a win Friday) in a best-of-three wild-card series .
All wild-card games are hosted by the higher seed.
Not only did the Tigers (86-74) snap a nine-year postseason drought — tied for the longest active streak with the Los Angeles Angels — but the White Sox also set the MLB record with 121 losses (in 160 games) to become the team with the most losses in modern baseball history, surpassing the 1962 New York Mets.
Meanwhile, the Tigers own an MLB-best 31-11 record in 42 games since Aug. 11. The postseason-clinching victory over the White Sox extended the Tigers' winning streak to six games, as part of 10 wins in their past 11.
"We've been good for a while now," Hinch said. "This isn't just a hot September. That's disrespecting what we did in August. ... Our ability to bounce back after tough losses and bounce back after heroic wins started to make me feel like we understand that it's about every day."
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The game ended when center fielder Parker Meadows and right fielder Wenceel Pérez collided in right-center field, tracking a high fly ball from Andrew Vaughn. Thankfully, Pérez made the catch and held onto the ball as he tumbled to the ground.
Everyone celebrated in the middle of the infield.
"It's kind of picture-perfect on how to punch our ticket to October with an imperfect play," Hinch said. "We'll go over the film tomorrow and give us something to poke fun at."
Taking the lead
The Tigers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning.
The offense was practically lifeless against White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, but when left-handed reliever Jared Shuster replaced him, everything changed.
The Tigers immediately loaded the bases with Jake Rogers (walk), Meadows (single) and Andy Ibáñez (walk). The situation resulted in runs: Rogers scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead and Meadows scored on Matt Vierling's sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.
Vierling is the only position player on the Tigers' active roster with postseason experience, including three games with the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 World Series.
Extending the lead
The Tigers tacked on two runs in the seventh inning, taking a 4-1 lead.
Ibáñez — who has been struggling recently, even against lefties — ripped a one-out double to left-center field off left-handed reliever Fraser Ellard. He advanced to third base on the play because of a fielding error by center fielder Dominic Fletcher.
The White Sox intentionally walked Vierling to put runners on the corners for Riley Greene, who launched Ellard's first-pitch cutter off the wall in straightaway center.
The RBI double from Greene drove in Ibáñez to put the Tigers ahead, 3-1. Another wild pitch from the White Sox allowed Vierling to score from third, making it 4-1.
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On the mound
Right-hander Brenan Hanifee, a traditional reliever, worked as an opener in Friday's playoff-clinching game. He covered two scoreless innings before giving way to left-hander Brant Hurter.
Hurter worked as the bulk reliever.
The former Triple-A starter needed 53 pitches to take down four innings, allowing one run on two hits and zero walks with one strikeout. His first-pitch sweeper was launched for a solo home run by Zach DeLoach — the first of his MLB career — with two outs in the sixth inning.
Aside from one swing, Hurter shut down the White Sox throughout his four innings.
From there, the Tigers used three relievers to get to the finish line: right-hander Will Vest for the seventh inning and the first two outs in the eighth inning, followed by left-hander Tyler Holton for the third out in the eighth inning and the first two outs of the ninth inning.
Right-hander Jason Foley, as he had 40 times previously this season, got the final out against the White Sox to send the Tigers back to the postseason.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers clinch AL playoff berth in 4-1 W; White Sox set MLB record with 121st L
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