Tigers Clinch 2014 Playoff Berth: Highlights, Twitter Reaction and More

Between 1988 and 2010, the Detroit Tigers made one postseason appearance. After Wednesday night, they're headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in as many years.

With a 6-1 win over the Chicago White Sox earlier in the day and a 1-0 defeat for the Seattle Mariners, the Tigers clinched at least a wild-card spot. The team celebrated the news on Twitter:

The four-year playoff run is the longest in franchise history, per ESPN Stats and Info:

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Herman Moore congratulated the Tigers on Twitter:

ESPN's Buster Olney believes the Tigers' win on Wednesday helped in part to shed some light on how first-year manager Brad Ausmus will strategically approach his pitching staff in the postseason:

Justin Verlander threw 109 pitches over eight innings, striking out six and surrendering one earned run on seven hits.

MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince thinks that the former Cy Young and MVP Award winner is still a little bit inhibited by the shoulder inflammation that hampered him in August, but he has found a way to maintain a high level of effectiveness regardless:

Ausmus talked about Verlander's performance following the game.

"Anytime you're going against Chris Sale, it seems like long odds, but Verlander pitched outstanding today and matched him," said Ausmus in the postgame press conference. "It was really a huge win, and it was huge to take two out of three."

Verlander's gem came after David Price's 114-pitch, 8.2-inning outing in a 4-3 win over the ChiSox on Tuesday night.

Most managers ask more of their aces come September and October. Price and Verlander will be two of the team's most vital players once the playoffs roll around.

The job isn't done for the Tigers quite yet. Detroit holds a two-game lead over the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central. Avoiding the unpredictable one-game wild-card playoff will be a strong motivator for Tigers players as they close out the 2014 regular season.

Pitching almost always wins titles, and few can match Detroit's arms. The addition of Price at the trade deadline made an already sturdy pitching staff downright filthy. According to FanGraphs, the team ranks third in pitcher WAR. Question marks remain about Detroit's bullpen, but entering play Wednesday, its starters had posted the third-best FIP in MLB.

Looking ahead to the postseason, Detroit's starting rotation makes it one of the scarier teams to face.