The Detroit Tigers won two road games against the Cleveland Guardians to advance to the American League Divisional Series. After Tarik Skubal shut Cleveland down in Game 1, a big seventh inning fueled Detroit to a 6-3 lead. Now, the Tigers face the No. 2 seed Seattle Mariners in the next round. However, Detroit's CEO, Chris Ilitch, had some fascinating words after the game.
The Tigers have a lot riding on this year's postseason run. Detroit acquired some bullpen pitching at the deadline in preparation for a deep playoff run. Even though the team nearly suffered a historic collapse down the stretch, the Tigers made it into the playoffs and advanced to the second round. Ilitch is not too sure that his team can go much further, though.
Ilitch spoke to The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen about his team as it moves on. According to him, he will not be concerned if the Tigers cannot get all the way to and win the 2025 World Series.
“This is a step on our journey,” Ilitch said. “We want to win a World Series. If it's this year, then great. If it's not, we’re going to keep at it until we get there.”
Ilitch's comments are interesting after the comments he made on Skubal's future. The ace is an unrestricted free agent this winter whom the Tigers have not had too many contract negotiation talks with. Ilitch said that he wants the team focused on this year's playoff run instead of making big financial moves.
Detroit faced an uphill climb in their ALWCS against Cleveland. Now, the Mariners present the Tigers with a much tougher challenge. Regardless of how things go, though, Ilitch is ready to accept it. With Skubal's future up in the air, Detroit wants to make the most of what could be his last year on the team.
