For much of the season, the Tigers weren’t just the best team in the American League — they were the best team in all of baseball. From Opening Day through the All-Star break, Detroit led the majors, holding a 10-game advantage over the Blue Jays as early as May.
But the Blue Jays never backed down. They kept playing their brand of baseball, slowly climbing the AL East standings and eventually catching up to the league leaders. July was a turning point: the Tigers stumbled to an 11-14 record, while the Blue Jays surged with an impressive 18-8 run. August was more balanced — Detroit went 16-12, Toronto 14-12 — setting up a dramatic stretch run.
As of now, the two teams are neck and neck. The Tigers sit at 80-60, while the Blue Jays are just ahead at 80-59. Let’s break down their strengths and weaknesses to determine who might emerge as the American League’s top team.
The Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have fully embraced the “Moneyball” philosophy: get on base and hit for power. And it’s working.
Toronto leads the AL in several offensive categories, including batting average (.268), on-base percentage (.337), and total hits (1,273). They’ve also struck out the fewest times (937), proving they put the ball in play consistently. More importantly, they do it when it counts. The Jays have the most comeback wins in the American League and a .795 OPS in “late and close” situations — a sign of their clutch hitting.
However, their pitching is a different story. The starting rotation has been average, and the bullpen has been shaky, especially late in games. Closer Jeff Hoffman has a 5.11 ERA over 59 appearances — far from what you want anchoring your bullpen heading into October.
The Tigers
The Tigers are nearly the opposite of the Blue Jays. Their offensive numbers don’t pop off the stat sheet, but their pitching — particularly the rotation — has been outstanding.
They’re led by reigning AL Cy Young and Triple Crown winner Tarik Skubal, who’s putting together another dominant season. Behind him, Jack Flaherty has posted a solid 3.80 ERA, and the addition of veteran Charlie Morton at the deadline provides valuable experience.
Their bullpen might be even more impressive. The Tigers added Kyle Finnegan, who hasn’t allowed a run in 14⅓ innings and already has four saves in that span.
Offensively, Detroit is young but developing fast. Spencer Torkelson is starting to break out, Riley Greene has hit 30 home runs for the first time in his career, and young talents like Colt Keith and earlier in the year Dillon Dingler have shown promise. Statistically, the Tigers are top 15 in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging — and rank in the top 10 in home runs.
Outlook
Both teams bring dangerous offenses, but they excel in different ways. The Blue Jays are relentless and clutch, constantly battling back into games. But their pitching — particularly the bullpen — is a major question mark.
The Tigers, on the other hand, have the pitching depth to go deep into October. And as the old saying goes: “Pitching wins championships.” The big question is whether the rotation behind Skubal can hold up under postseason pressure — or whether a relentless, contact-driven lineup like Toronto’s will wear them down in the clutch.