The Detroit Tigers still have the best record in the American League Central.

That is a fact.

Manager A.J. Hinch went out of his way to remind everyone that the Tigers — not the Cleveland Guardians — remain in first place with six games remaining in the 2025 season, even as the baseball world talks about the Guardians stealing the division.

The standings say first place; the play on the field says collapse.

"We're going to wake up tomorrow in first place," Hinch said Sunday, Sept. 21, after a 6-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves, the Tigers' sixth in a row, "with our destiny controlled by us against a team that's been as hot as you can get in baseball, and we get to play them in a three-game series. Sign me up." Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY

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