Despite their storied histories, the Red Sox and Tigers have never met in the postseason … until now. The ALCS matchups promises to be an exciting one between a pair of heavyweights. The series opens Saturday at Fenway Park.

Justin Verlander returned to Oakland and no-hit the A’s for 6 2/3 innings Thursday, and though Oakland broke up the no-no, it couldn’t snap his shutout streak as the righty helped send the Tigers through to the ALCS with eight shutout innings in a 3-0 win in Game 5 of the ALDS.

Put Shane Victorino on a big stage like the postseason and viewers all over the map quickly take note of the relentless way he plays. Just don’t be fooled into thinking the energetic right fielder for the Red Sox changes his effort level with the calendar.

There were good vibes around these Boston Red Sox from the earliest days of Spring Training. At the time, general manager Ben Cherington wasn’t sure what to make of the things he was seeing and hearing.

Should Sonny Gray have started Game 5, as A’s manager Bob Melvin opted for in the deciding game of the American League Division Series? Would the end result — a 3-0 Tigers win at O.co Coliseum — have been different if Game 1 starter Bartolo Colon had pitched in Gray’s place? The answer, of course, is unclear.

For the second straight year, the A’s were eliminated in Game 5 of the ALDS by the Tigers’ Justin Verlander, this time in a 3-0 loss in which he held Oakland hitless until the seventh. “He had a little extra life on his fastball tonight,” Stephen Vogt said. “Whether he was fired up for Game 5 or what, I don’t know. He was outstanding tonight.”

The Tigers unleashed the “Turn Up” cheer, devised by Torii Hunter to help the team through some trying times, to celebrate their ALDS-clinching win over the Athletics.

When Los Angeles visits St. Louis for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Friday at Busch Stadium (airing on TBS), two storied franchises and two powerhouse 25-man rosters will be on display.

This is Dave Dombrowski’s 12th season as Tigers president and general manager, and the celebrations never get old. But there are still mountains to climb.

If Detroit is looking for harbingers, the appearance that Miguel Cabrera could be getting at least healthy enough to turn on pitches is encouraging. So is the fact that after scoring a combined six runs in the first 31 innings of this ALDS, the Tigers piled up 11 in the final 13.

Justin Verlander, who ended the A’s season with a complete game in Game 5 of the ALDS last year, was even better on Thursday night, keeping Oakland hitless until the seventh inning on his way to eliminating the club once again.

The A’s were home, but so was Justin Verlander. Talk about your hostile takeovers. He moved right in and made O.co Coliseum, not the most inviting of venues, his second residence in Thursday’s dominant Game 5 victory.

It was a different year, but the ending looked awfully familiar in Oakland on Thursday night. For the second time in as many seasons, a Justin Verlander gem in Game 5 propelled the Detroit Tigers into the American League Championship Series and sent the Oakland A’s headed for an earlier-than-expected offseason.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland answered questions after ALDS Game 5.

After an uncharacteristic outing earlier this week, Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez will get another opportunity to showcase his American League-leading 2.57 ERA. Sanchez will start Game 1 of the AL Championship Series against the Red Sox on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, FOX) at Fenway Park.

With the Tigers squaring off against the Red Sox, the American League Championship Series will feature a bunch of household names and a couple of baseball’s iconic franchises fighting it out for a trip to the World Series.

The road to the 109th World Series resumes at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday as the Dodgers visit the Cardinals for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. You can catch the whole series live with unique companion coverage provided by Postseason.TV at a one-time cost of just $4.99.