On Monday night, they were mathematically eliminated from the American League Central Division race.
This inevitable news comes from Steven Patent, the developer of a software called Pennant Solutions, which considers the remaining games of all teams simultaneously when calculating early eliminations.
Though the Tigers’ “magic number” — the total number of losses plus first-place wins needed for elimination — remains at two, Patent’s deeper look at Pennant Solutions has found their fate.
According to Patent, the AL Central Division winner is already guaranteed 78 wins, because the first-place Twins and second-place Indians still play each other six times.