It’s probably safe to say that the Boston Red Sox do not want to face the Detroit Tigers again anytime soon. The Tigers swept the Red Sox in a three-game series in Detroit, beginning with a 14-2 blowout of Boston on Monday.
Javier Baez hit a walk-off three-run home run in extra innings on Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday night, Justyn-Henry Malloy saved the day for the Tigers with another walk-off single, completing the sweep.
On Friday, the Tigers traveled to Toronto to play the Blue Jays in the first game of a three-game series. Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty pitched 5.2 innings of two-run ball to help Detroit win its third straight one-run game, 5-4, over Toronto.
With the win, the Tigers became the first baseball team to win 30 games this season, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on X.
The Tigers have been baseball’s hottest team early in 2025
The Tigers improved to an MLB-best 30-15 record this season. Of course, a victory over the Los Angeles Angels would bring the Dodgers even with the Tigers. However, Detroit is currently baseball’s best team.
The Tigers currently lead the AL Central by 4.5 games over the second-place Cleveland Guardians. Detroit also has the second-largest lead over the division’s last-place team, the Chicago White Sox, at 16 games. The Dodgers have the largest lead over their division’s last-place team, the 7-36 Colorado Rockies, at 21.5 games.
Last season, the Tigers made the playoffs for the first time in a decade, defeating the Houston Astros in the Wild Card before falling to the Guardians 3-2 in the Divisional round. However, Detroit appears to be doing even better this season.
Baez’s career is resurging in 2025. In addition to his walk-off home run against the Red Sox earlier this week, Baez gave the Tigers the lead against the Blue Jays in the eighth inning on Friday.
Baez has recently been one of the league’s hottest hitters, and he has helped the Tigers become the first team in MLB history to win 30 games. He’s batting.307/.343/.512, all of which are significant improvements from last season. He also has six home runs, 28 RBI, and 21 runs scored in 36 games for the Tigers this season.
Baez’s comeback has helped revive the Tigers’ offense. Detroit has scored 35 runs in its last four games.
