Two different teams oppose each other today in game 163 of this regular season.
The Detroit Tigers have been leading the Central Division for nearly the entire season. The Twins have been playing catch up to the Tigers almost the entire season. They have finally caught them and the two teams will now fight today at 5 P.M. for the right to call themselves AL Central Champions.
The Tigers and Twins are both in a state of urgency. Detroit, a team predicted to finish third or fourth in the division, surprised many this season. The Twins, always seemingly in the running for the division, have been in this position previously.
Last year, they lost in game 163 to Chicago. That ended any playoff hopes they had going into that game.
But the Twins have no pressure on them. They came back from seven games down in the division to tie it. That in itself is quite an accomplishment. The Tigers faltered down the stretch and must now make up for it. If they fail to do this, not only will they miss the playoffs, but they will be the first team to blow a seven-game lead in the division in recent memory.
The Tigers victory must not simply be by a run or two. They must prove that they belong in the playoffs. They have the lowest win total in the league of any team that is still eligible to make the postseason (86).
The Tigers must blow out the Minnesota Twins. Not only that, but it will have to be done in the Metrodome; a place that they have struggled to win all year. They must forget about the last 10 games, where they have gone 4-6, including an 8-0 shutout loss to the Chicago White Sox.
They must ignore the loud, boisterous Minnesota crowd and crush the Twins in front of their home crowd so that there will be no doubt that Detroit belongs in the playoffs.
Detroit 8, Minnesota 4
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