🐯 Bring on Cleveland!

Friday's here!

• If you haven't caught Tigers fever, check out our weekend guide for other things to do.

⛅ Today's weather: High near 73, with increasing clouds.

Today's newsletter is 969 words — a 3.5-minute read. Edited by Delano Massey.

Who wants to play Detroit now?

• Probably nobody, but the Cleveland Guardians have no choice.

Why it matters: The Tigers' made-for-Hollywood season continues tomorrow with Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians.

The big picture: After an underwhelming start, Detroit has been baseball's best team since mid-August, when it had a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs.

• The Tigers won six straight to make the playoffs, then swept the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series to advance to the ALDS.

What they're saying: "There's absolutely no quit. We feel like we've been playing playoff baseball for the past two months … We're playing with confidence, playing free, having fun," pitcher Beau Brieske told the Detroit News.

Fun fact: This will be the Tigers' first time playing a division opponent in the playoffs, per the News.

Zoom in: Game 1's first pitch is tomorrow at 1:08pm at Progressive Field, with TBS and 97.1 The Ticket broadcasting the game.

• Game 2 of the best-of-five series will be back in Cleveland on Monday. Game 3 will be Wednesday at Comerica Park.

State of play: Detroit (86-76) will once again be the underdog. Cleveland (92-69) earned a first-round bye and is slightly favored by sports oddsmakers to win Game 1 and the entire series.

Zoom out: The Tigers need more than intangible playoff magic to beat the Guardians.

• Despite tepid preseason expectations, Cleveland jumped out to its best start since 1995 and now feels poised for a deep postseason run.

The other side: The Guardians have an edge at six of 11 positions, including both the pitching rotation and the bullpen, according to MLB.com's positional breakdown.

If you go: Game 1 tickets are about $200 and up on the secondary market.

• Our colleagues at Axios Cleveland have a handy guide to the city, which is only about a 2.5-hour drive from Detroit.
• The guide recommends places to stay, from swanky to cost-conscious, good restaurants and a few non-sports things to do around town.

The bottom line: No matter what happens in Cleveland, Comerica Park will be rocking on Wednesday for Game 3.

Rouge Park will host the Buffalo Soldiers and Blues Freedom Festival on Saturday, celebrating the legacy of the all-Black U.S. Army units who played a crucial role in American history.

Why it matters: The event seeks to educate Detroiters about this history while celebrating with music, food and family-friendly activities.

• The Buffalo Soldiers' contributions — from westward expansion to serving as the first national park rangers — are often overlooked.

Flashback: The Buffalo Soldiers were formed in 1866 and served in conflicts from the Indian Wars to World War II, paving the way for African Americans in the military despite facing harsh discrimination.

• The units lasted until the desegregation of the U.S. military in 1948.

Rouge Park's connection to the Buffalo Soldiers began in 2007, when the Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Association (BSHA), with support from the Friends of Rouge Park, agreed with city officials to take over the barn's management.

• The Detroit Police Mounted Division had previously used the barn.
• BSHA transformed the space into a center for educating youth and maintaining the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers.

What they're saying: Alex "Lex" Allen, program manager of Friends of Rouge Park, described the event as "a celebration of the community's history and its future."

• "When people think of cowboys in America, they don't typically associate them with Black cowboys," he said. "This event lets us be represented in a way that's both positive and deeply rooted in history."

Yvette Pullom-Bass, program director for Detroit Parks Coalition, stated, "This event is more than just a festival; it's an opportunity for people to envision themselves and their community in a new way."

Zoom in: The event will take place from 1-5pm on Saturday at Rouge Park Horse Barn, 8886 Lahser Road. Admission is free.

What to expect:

• 🐴 Pony rides and tours of the Buffalo Soldiers' barn.
• 🎵 Live blues music from Big Pete and Friends, and African drumming from Nanou Djapo.
• 😋 Food options include Filipino lumpia from Marichona's Cuisine, nodding to the Buffalo Soldiers' service in the Philippine-American War.
• 🎯 Games like horseshoes and cornhole, plus booths from local organizations.

👴 Eminem's going to be a grandpa. The 51-year-old rapper's daughter, Hailie Jade, revealed her pregnancy in Eminem's new video for "Temporary" from his latest album. (Free Press)

⚖️ A former city bus driver was sentenced yesterday to at least six months in jail for killing pedestrian Janice Bauer last year downtown. (Detroit News)

🌯 Detroit City Beef, the food cart outside the Skip in the Belt alley, will start serving Italian beef and fried eggplant sandwiches inspired by "The Bear" on Sunday. Celebrity chef and "The Bear" actor Matty Matheson crafted the new menu items. (Metro Times)

💻 Leading Michigan judges from the state Supreme Court, Wayne County and elsewhere are calling on courts to minimize virtual hearings and return to holding in-person proceedings except when appropriate or necessary. (Detroit News)

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😇 Joe here, with something nice to say about Cleveland.

Flashback: My first reporting job was in Cleveland at The Plain Dealer.

• After work, my coworkers and I developed a taste for Great Lakes Brewing Company's selection, especially the Christmas Ale and its fall seasonal cousin, Nosferatu.

State of play: GLBC beers are sold around here and I recently grabbed a six-pack of the double red IPA at my neighborhood party store for $13.99.

What to expect: Nosferatu packs a punch — its ABV is 8%.

• The flavor is complex, almost like a cross between a malty Oktoberfest beer and an IPA.
• It would pair well with red meats, potato chips or sitting at home while you hand out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Plus, the can's vampire artwork is really cool.

Axios Detroit gets local readers like you smarter, faster on the news unfolding in your backyard.

Support your local reporting team by becoming a member.

• Plus plus plus: you'll receive exclusive messages and more.

Become an Axios Detroit member.

Our picks:

🍺 Joe thinks of Becky's bar near the old Plain Dealer offices when he reminisces about hanging out in Cleveland.

🗓️ Annalise is out of the office.