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At the July 30, 2024, trade deadline, with the mired in fourth place, 15 games behind Cleveland, in the American League Central, the franchise continued its seemingly annual tradition of giving up on the season and being sellers when they traded No. 2 starter Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two minor leaguers while also shipping out three other veterans for prospects.

Most Detroit sports fans were more interested in stories about the Lions’ training camp and had also given up, although they often tuned in to games when pitching ace Tarik Skubal was on the mound. (Skubal went on to win the after leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.)

Manager A.J. Hinch was left with one proven starter, All-Star outfielder Riley Greene; a solid bullpen led by Jason Foley and Tyler Holton; and a bunch of mostly unproven young players on a team that at season’s end was the youngest in the majors (average age of 26.3).

In an interview after the trades with , Tigers President Scott Harris was asked what the timeline was for the team to spend more (acquire more free agents) and get back in the postseason.

Harris said in part: “The rate at which they [the young core] get better is ultimately going to determine our timeline. As soon as we think this core is ready to compete deep into October, we’re going to spend heavily.”

To everyone’s surprise, Harris’s timeline may have disappeared as the franchise ended its seven-year streak of losing seasons and made its first playoff appearance in a decade.

In a rare team meeting after the trades, Hinch asked his players what kind of team they wanted to be to finish out the season.

Despite the daunting nature of the task, they wanted to be a playoff team.

“Our team personality was built to lean on one another and to try and win today’s game and some series,” Hinch told ������ Detroit from his offseason Houston home just hours before he was named a finalist for AL Manager of the Year.

The Tigers then staged one of the most improbable comebacks in Detroit sports history with their tenacious grit and resilience, synonymous with Detroit’s motto: “We hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes.”

On Aug. 10, with a 55-63 record, the struggling Tigers were 10 games out of a wildcard playoff spot. Their odds of making the postseason were down to 0.2%, according to . But then, eight days later, in a nationally televised game against the powerful New York Yankees at the Little League Classic, the Tigers’ 24-year-old center fielder Parker Meadows hit a walk-off single for a 3-2 victory as Detroit took two of three from the Yankees and finished the week 5-1.

Some observers point to that game as a turning point.

Meadows had started the season batting .096 before being sent down to Toledo in early May to correct his batting mechanics. Upon returning in early July, he quickly went on the injured list and did not come back until early August, when he quickly emerged as a clutch hitter who made spectacular game-saving catches and was a terror on the basepaths. In early September, he hit a dramatic two-out, two-strike grand slam in the top of the ninth inning to beat San Diego 4-3.

After his Aug. 3 return, Meadows batted .296 and then hit safely in all seven postseason games.

“Part of the reason for our success was our youth because they wanted to stay in the big leagues and were focused,” Hinch says. “My coaching staff worked tirelessly to help get as much out of these players as they could.”

The Tigers leaned down the stretch on their outstanding ace, Skubal, and a rotation consisting largely of “bullpen games” creatively deployed by Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter that saw a parade of young hurlers pitch an inning or two. It worked. Over the last two months of the season, the Tigers posted the best team ERA in baseball.

Aggressive baserunning, clutch hitting, solid pitching, an improved defense, and late-inning heroics suddenly became the norm as the team jelled with a solid core of hungry young players that included Greene, Meadows, designated hitter Kerry Carpenter, second baseman Colt Keith, outfielder Wenceel Pérez, and infielder/outfielder Matt Vierling, the only Tiger with postseason experience.

Fans who had not stepped foot in Comerica Park for a decade began a pilgrimage to the ballpark. “Magic numbers” once again became part of the vernacular.

“We got peak performances from Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene, and Parker Meadows and someone different every night,” Hinch says. “This team was a blast to manage because of their buy-in and the development that needed to happen.”

For the last two months of the season, the Tigers were the hottest American League team. After Aug. 10, they won 31 of the last 44 games, finished the regular season with an 86-76 record (tied for second with Kansas City in the AL Central), and secured a wild-card playoff spot.

After winning both games in Houston to win that series, the Tigers took a 2-1 series lead against Cleveland in the AL Division Series on Oct. 9 in a 3-0 victory in the first postseason game at Comerica Park since 2014 while setting the stadium’s postseason attendance record with 44,885 towel-waving fans.

But the Tigers’ improbable run to the playoffs finally ended on Oct. 12 after they lost the last two games of the ALDS.

“Winning a playoff series was very special, but our guys were genuinely crushed by how the season ended so abruptly,” Hinch says. “It left a bad taste in the mouth despite the positive season we had and the tons of fanfare we created.

“I have a ton of pride about last season because of all the things that had to happen to bring winning baseball back to Detroit,” he says. “The season taught us that we are tough and can overcome some improbable odds to win a lot of games. Our fans are incredibly loyal and patient, and they now have a team that matches the city.”

As for next season? Hinch says his team will be ready.

“I know our players left wanting more. I love managing this team, and this is not the end of the story. We are committed to bring a World Series back to Detroit.”

This story originally appeared in the January 2025 issue of ������ Detroit magazine. To read more, including the full list of the 2025 ������ Detroiters pick up a copy of ������ Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our will be available on Jan. 6.��