BOSTON -- Through all the ups and downs of the Tigers’ stretch run that turned a postseason berth from a near-formality to a serious question, they had one of baseball’s most formidable, most consistent factors for a postseason: Tarik Skubal at the top of the rotation. Get the reigning American League Cy Young winner into a winner-take-all series, and give the opponents reason to worry.

By clinching a postseason berth on Saturday, the Tigers have not only punched their ticket for October, they’ve given their potential Wild Card Series opponents a reason to fear the matchup. They can line up Skubal for Game 1 on Tuesday .

“This is why you play the game,” Skubal said on Saturday afternoon before their clinching 2-1 win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park. “This is what you prepare fo

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