Two years ago, the Orioles were the envy of baseball, riding a young, talented roster to a 101-win season and AL East title. The Detroit Tigers were perpetual losers, muddling through a stalled rebuild and missing the playoffs for a ninth straight year.
Look where we are now.
The two teams’ fortunes seemed to reverse at nearly the exact same moment — about halfway through the 2024 season. The O’s, after starting 57-33, played sub-.500 baseball for the rest of the year and were swept out of the playoffs in two games. The Tigers, meanwhile, were an out-of-nowhere sensation, recovering from a 37-46 start to erupt in the second half and storm into the postseason.