Major League Baseball's 2024 postseason is underway, and the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are moving on in the playoff bracket. The Tigers knocked out the Houston Astros on Wednesday, while the Royals eliminated the Baltimore Orioles, with both AL Central underdogs winning the best-of-three series in two games on the road.
The Tigers are moving on for an ALDS matchup against the Cleveland Guardians, their AL Central rival. The Royals will face Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the New York Yankees in the next wound.
The Astros saw their streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances come to an end, while the Orioles are now 0-5 in the playoffs in the last two seasons.
"Our city is built on grit," Tiger's manager AJ Hinch as he was getting covered in champagne after sweeping the team he started managed from 2015 to 2019. "That's what it is. I remember saying that I wanted to have a team that this city is proud of. I think the city is pretty proud of what we're doing and how we're doing it and the fight that this team shows."
"They did everything right to win the series," Houston second baseman Jose Altuve said.
The Tigers have been one of the hottest teams in baseball since the MLB All-Star break, but the Guardians were one of the top sides all season:
Cleveland won the season series with the Tigers and it only lost one of the four series between the divisional rivals.
However, the two teams have not played since July 30 and a lot has changed since then with the Tigers.
In their previous three postseason appearances, the Royals advanced to the World Series. They still have an opportunity to make it four straight.
The Royals finished a sweep of the Orioles in their best-of-three AL Wild Card Series with a 2-1 win Wednesday in Baltimore. With the victory, the Royals advanced to an American League Division Series against the Yankees.
Bobby Witt Jr. beat out an infield single to drive in the go-ahead run. With two outs and runners at the corners in sixth inning, Witt hit a grounder to the edge of the dirt behind second base, where Jordan Westburg made a diving stop and throw to first. Witt busting it down the first base line in his PF flyers, was safe, allowing Kyle Isbel to score from third.
Witt is the second player age 24 or younger to have the game-winning RBI in each of his team's first two games of a postseason since RBI became an official statistic in 1920, joining Jimmie Foxx in 1929.
Kansas City, which endured two seven-game losing streaks over the final month of the season, advanced to face the AL East champion New York Yankees. Game 1 is Saturday in the Bronx, which I, Young Horn will be in attendance for. With the questions of who will be the starting left fielder for NY, I may have to show up to the boogie down Bronx in full uni.
New York won the season series against the Royals (5-2), but Baltimore had won the season series and that turned out just fine for Kansas City.
Two other teams will try to join the the divisional round on Wednesday as their opponents try to stay alive. The New York Mets and San Diego Padres both won Game 1s on Tuesday, so the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves are facing elimination Wednesday in the National League.
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