Tigers Magic Number: Playoff path much clearer after late-night gift from Astros

The Detroit Tigers fell just short against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. The Tigers watched their 3-1 lead disappear after the Red Sox scored one run in each of the seventh and eighth innings, and then walked it off in the ninth courtesy of an RBI triple off the bat of Ceddane Rafaela.

For what feels like the umpteenth time during the month of September, Detroit failed secure a much-needed win and still haven't locked up their spot in the MLB Postseason. Nevertheless, the Tigers are still very much alive for a playoff berth with FanGraphs giving Detroit a 90.8% chance to punch their ticket with two games remaining in the 2025 regular season.

Tigers fans are on edge entering the final weekend, especially following repeated shortcomings and their team's inability win down the stretch. But the Houston Astros gave Detroit a gift with their late-night loss to the Los Angeles Angels, and Tigers' magic number is just one (1) with two games left to play.

Tigers magic number got a boost following a late-night gift from the Astros

For those unfamiliar, the "magic number" is the combination of Tigers' wins and Astros' losses it will take in order for Detroit to receive a playoff berth. In other words, one more Tigers win or one more Astros loss is all that's necessary for Detroit to be playing baseball in October.

While Tigers fans' frustration has been growing over the last couple of weeks, few teams have seen a bigger drop in the playoff odds than the Astros. Entering the month of September, Houston had a 90.5% chance to make it back to the MLB Postseason for the ninth straight season. But heading into play on Saturday in Anaheim, the Astros are clinging to life with a meager 15.9% chance to make it back to the playoffs.

If the Tigers knock off the Red Sox on Saturday, they're headed back to the playoffs for the second time in two seasons. If, however, Boston upends Detroit once again, Tigers fans may want to put on a pot of coffee and stay up for the Astros' West Coast matchup against the Halos.

A Houston loss would hand Detroit their playoff spot, and then it's just a matter of who's hosting the AL Wild Card — the Tigers or the Cleveland Guardians.

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