Tigers Clinch Playoffs, Hand White Sox Modern Era Loss Record

Detroit Tigers team photo after clinching a playoff berth with a 4–1 win over the White Sox

Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images

September 27, 2024

Tigers 4, White Sox 1

The Detroit Tigers clinched a playoff berth with a 4–1 victory over the Chicago White Sox Friday night at Comerica Park in Detroit. This snaps a 10-year playoff drought for the Tigers and hands the White Sox their 121st loss of the season — a record for the Modern Era (1901 to present).

Tigers – White Sox Game Summary

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when White Sox reliever Jared Shuster uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded. This scored Jake Rogers as the other two runners each advanced a base. The batter at the plate at the time, third baseman Matt Vierling, ultimately belted a sacrifice fly to left, making the score 2–0 Tigers. Rookie White Sox right fielder Zach DeLoach slashed his team’s deficit to 2–1 with a homer to right, the first of his major league career. Tigers left fielder Riley Greene made it a 3–1 game with an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh. Two pitches later, a wild pitch by Fraser Ellard scored Vierling from third to make it 4–1.

What Went Right for the White Sox

Starting Pitching

White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet tossed four scoreless innings, allowing four hits while walking one and striking out six. He has pitched a maximum of four innings per start since July 6, which explains the otherwise brief outing.

Avoided the Shutout

Zach DeLoach’s sixth-inning home run kept the White Sox from being shut out. Additionally, it kept them within striking distance.

Back-end Relief

Enyel De Los Santos entered the game in relief of Ellard in the bottom of the seventh, trailing 4–1. The Tigers had runners on first and third with two outs and first baseman Spencer Torkelson at the plate. De Los Santos prevented the game from being blown open when he retired Torkelson on a liner to third. Prelander Berroa also kept the White Sox within three runs with a scoreless eighth, working around a one-out double by Rogers.

What Went Wrong for the White Sox

Mostly Quiet Offense

The White Sox sent 31 hitters to the plate. Only four reached base, three on hits and one on a walk. The only player in their lineup to even reach second base was DeLoach, who hit a first-inning ground-rule double in addition to his sixth-inning homer. Dominic Fletcher notched the third White Sox hit on a one-out single in the third.

Middle Relief

Middle relievers Jared Shuster and Fraser Ellard combined to allow all four Tigers runs. Eight of the sixteen batters they faced reached base, three on hits and five on walks. Furthermore, they combined to throw three wild pitches, two by Shuster and the third by Ellard. Two of those wild pitches directly led to runs for the Tigers.

What Went Right for the Tigers

Pitching

On a bullpen day, Tigers pitchers were outstanding. Brenan Hanifee, Brant Hurter, Will Vest, Tyler Holton, and Jason Foley combined to hold the White Sox to one run on three hits while walking one and striking out four. As mentioned earlier, they only allowed two runners to even reach scoring position.

Offensive Pressure

The Tigers sent 38 hitters to the plate across their eight times at bat. Fifteen reached base, eight on hits and seven via the walk. Only once did they suffer a 1–2–3 inning, and that came in the bottom of the third.

What Went Wrong for the Tigers

The Tigers missed several opportunities to blow the game open. They only batted 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Additionally, they left 10 men on base, with seven being left in scoring position.

Quick Hits

The White Sox, with the loss, surpassed the expansion 1962 New York Mets (40–120) for the most losses in a Modern Era season (since 1901). With two games remaining, they can still pass the Mets’ 1962 win total, since the Mets had two canceled games that they didn’t make up.

The Tigers made one of the more improbable playoff runs in the Wild Card Era. At the end of play August 10, they held a 55–63 record. It was the fourth-worst record in the AL and had them 10 games out of a Wild Card spot. Since then, they have gone a major league-best 31–11 (.738). … The playoff berth is the Tigers’ first since 2014, tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the longest playoff drought in the majors. In their last playoff appearance, the Tigers were swept in the Division Series by the Baltimore Orioles. … The game ended on a play that could have been disastrous. Tigers right fielder Wenceel Perez and center fielder Parker Meadows collided as Perez caught Andrew Vaughn’s fly ball. Fortunately, both players were fine.

Looking Ahead

Hurter (6–1) earned the win, with Shuster (2–5) taking the loss, both in relief. Jason Foley notched his 28th save.

The Tigers (86–74) and White Sox (39–121) will play the second game of their three-game series Saturday afternoon. Rookie right-hander Sean Burke (1–0, 1.93 ERA) will start for the White Sox against Tigers right-hander Beau Briske (4–4, 3.56 ERA). It will be another bullpen game for the Tigers. First pitch will be at 1:10 pm Eastern.