The Detroit Tigers found themselves down 6-0 early in the contest against the Atlanta Braves on Friday. With the team struggling recently and the MLB Playoffs right around the corner, it appears some fans are hitting the panic button.
Numerous fans jumped on social media, pointing out that the Tigers could be on the verge of one of the biggest collapses heading into the postseason. At one point, Detroit held a 14-game lead over the rest of the AL Central. However, before the start of Friday's game against the Braves, the club is just 3.5 games ahead of the second-placed Cleveland Guardians.
One fan shared how rare it is for any team to blow that big of a lead in any conference by sharing the last franchise to blow a 14-game lead in the regular season was the 1978 Boston Red Sox. This Tigers fan certainly hopes his team avoids a similar fate.
“The largest blown division lead in MLB history was choked away by the Red Sox in 1978. They led by 14 games in July. The Tigers led the AL Central by 14 games in July. Say it ain’t so. Please tell me we’re going to wake up from this.”
Other fans piled on, with some claiming they'll have a hard time even watching the Tigers play if they lose the AL Central. Meanwhile, others are jokingly congratulating the Guardians for winning the conference, despite there still being several games remaining in the regular season.
“I look forward to the playoffs every single year. I watch basically every game for nearly 20 years now. I don’t think I can bring myself to watch a single pitch if we blow this division. It’s unthinkable,” said one fan.
Another fan proclaimed, “Congratulations to the Cleveland Guardians for winning the American League Central.”
— Tigers Torkmoil (@bythewaybro) September 19, 2025
“The Tigers had one of the best records in all of baseball, and at the trade deadline, Scott Harris brought them Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack, who have a combined 13.77 ERA in their time in Detroit. That’s hard to get over,” explained one user.
Another user said, “I can't believe the Tigers were having maybe their best season since 1984 and Scott Harris threw it in the garbage because he was scared of giving up even a single decent prospect.”
The Tigers still have eight games remaining after Friday's contest. Detroit will need to string together some wins if the club hopes to retain the top position in the AL Central. If not, they could be jumped in the standings by the Guardians. That could either result in the Tigers being a Wild Card team or potentially missing the playoffs entirely.