They make the cats hot!!

What is the absolute best hit? A grand slam, you could say. I suppose, yes, lens, That's correct. But after Andy Ibáñez hit a bases-loaded double into the left corner pocket in the eighth inning of a tied Tigers-Astros game on Wednesday, Tigers fans might have a different opinion. With the base-clearing two-bagger, they received great news blow after blow: the exciting declaration that the ball was fair, and then the dramatic buildup of an ever-larger lead. “One run scores points! …Two runs score! …Everyone scores!” It was as good as it gets, and so it was for the Detroiters the rest of the afternoon, as Houston finished 1-2-3, 1-2-3, barely 24th, out of the postseason hours after the start.

As the Tigers finished the year 24-10 and made the playoffs, this once-mediocre team piled up a ton of perfect, off-the-cuff hits. Although I would give more credit to their strong bullpen than their ultimately average lineup for the team's ability to pull off close victories, the Tigers stand out for their dramatic RBI. I think of the broken-bat bloop/seeing-eye single combination in the 10th inning that helped the team beat the Royals in KC two weeks ago. Or Riley Greene, who immediately took the lead in the tenth against the Orioles after Beau Brieske pulled Houdinie out of a loss in the bottom of the ninth. Or best of all, a comeback against the Rays last Thursday that was as simple as single, walk, single, sac fly, but still cemented the idea in my head that there might be something to this team.

Since the summer began to fade, the Tigers have become a team that is getting the results they need in one way or another. Ibáñez's pinch-hit double was just the last. The goal, which gave Motown its first home playoff game since 2014, will live on as a testament to this team's newfound optimism and, yes, determination.

“He literally runs up and down the dugout,” coach AJ Hinch said of Ibáñez afterwards. “And as soon as the left-hander picks up even one ball, Andy has his helmet on and is ready.”

The Tigers now face AL Central champion Cleveland, a team they lost to 6-7 this year but haven't played since July, when they were still The Old Tigers. As far as you can predict a five-game series, it should be low-scoring because each team's ability to limit runs far exceeds its own ability to produce baserunners. That would mean clutch shots win the day. With the best bullpen in the bigs, you would like the Guardians' chances in this scenario. But Detroit doesn't want to hear the odds.