The Detroit Tigers decided to write their own playbook in 2024

The Detroit Tigers have had a magical run since the MLB trade deadline and into the second half of the season as they have been one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Considering the Tigers were hot sellers at the trade deadline, it's shocking that they made the playoffs this season. Teams that trade away their best players generally don't have success afterward, but Detroit did just that.

In the Wild Card round, the Tigers had to face the American League's most important goalkeepers, the Houston Astros. The Astros made the playoffs and made it to the American League Championship Series seven years in a row. However, this successful streak is thanks to the Tigers,

The run to Detroit was impressive to watch, but also very unconventional. AJ Hinch has used some smoke and mirrors to get through games, but his unique approach to using his bullpen has paid off.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer recently talked about one thing every team learned this season. For Detroit, it meant taking the playbook, throwing it away and writing a new one.

“While Tarik Skubal needs no introduction as a truly great pitcher, he and Keider Montero were essentially the only true “starters” the Tigers used after the trade deadline. Therefore, their rotation was the lowest in the league at 196.1 innings. It's by no means a recommended recipe for success, but it worked for the Tigers because A) throwing different offenses (e.g. pitchers) at your enemies (e.g. hitters) can be an effective fighting strategy and because B) Detroit's defense really made it well, on time.”

The series against Houston was a great example of the Tigers playing their brand of baseball to win a series. In Game 1, their ace Tarik Skubal was fantastic and really set the tone for the team.

But in Game 2, when Hinch had a chance to win, he threw everything he had at the Astros to finish them off. Detroit's reserves clearly don't mind getting in the game, as Tyler Holton started Game 2 after recording a serve in Game 1.

That kind of unselfishness out of the bullpen is one of the reasons they've been so successful, and it does a good job keeping opponents on their toes.

Detroit will now face the Cleveland Guardians in the Divisional Round, and they will likely continue to use their unorthodox strategies to try and steal some games.