The Detroit Tigers had heard all the noise. Their epic collapse, which handed the Cleveland Guardians the AL Central Crown, was bad enough. If they lost the winner-take-all matchup against those very same Guardians, the taunts would've been unbearable.
Yet the Tigers entered the ALWCS matchup against their hated rival with the right attitude. When Detroit clinched its Wild Card berth, manager AJ Hinch reminded everyone that once the playoffs begin, the records reset to 0-0 and everything is anew.
Translation: it won't matter that the Tigers backed into the playoffs after an historic collapse if they take care of business once the bright lights come on.