After wrapping up a four-game sweep of the Yankees, Detroit’s fantastic felines have clinched the franchise’s 11th trip to the World Series. Who’s next?

As they relax for a few days and check out the NLCS to discover where they will open the World Series, the Tigers have no reason to express any preference in the afterglow of their ALCS sweep.

Bruce Bochy has no misgivings about entrusting the Giants’ fate to Barry Zito, who will start Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Friday.

It would be ridiculous to judge the New York Yankees solely on the basis of what just transpired in the American League Championship Series. But it would also be a mistake to completely ignore this debacle when judging the future needs of this once-dominant franchise.

Nothing is really normal, exactly, in the postseason. Players try their best to make sure they stick to routines and just do their jobs, but everything is a little different, from the schedule to the media demands to the crowds.

This one was for the owner, Mike Ilitch, who worked relentlessly to make it possible. He provided the resources for the construction of a championship team.

Detroit is heading to the World Series and ALCS MVP Delmon Young played an integral role in helping the club issue a four-game brooming of the Yankees.

Driven largely by the middle-of-the-order hitters who had been so silent all series, the Cardinals grabbed an 8-3 victory over Tim Lincecum and the Giants to push their National League Championship Series lead to 3-1.

Madison Bumgarner, the young left-hander excused from the Giants’ rotation for the remainder of the National League Championship Series, becomes a third southpaw in San Francisco’s bullpen.

Manager Bruce Bochy implemented minor changes in the Giants’ lineup Thursday that he hoped would have a major effect.

Jaime Garcia returned from a visit with noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, who recommended that Garcia not undergo surgery to address what has been diagnosed as a rotator cuff strain and inflammation in his left shoulder.

The Giants’ 8-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Thursday night’s Game 4 of the National League Championship Series saddled them with a 3-1 deficit in the best-of-seven showdown.

The Astros have a new manager in place in Bo Porter, but it could still be a few days before we learn the makeup of the coaching staff.

Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez hadn’t been to Comerica Park since 2010 as a member of the Nationals. But he made his long-awaited return Thursday to toss out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 4 of the ALCS.

Characterizing Carlos Beltran’s left knee as “still sore,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny announced that his right fielder would be available only as a pinch-hitter in Thursday’s Game 4 of the National League Championship Series vs. the Giants.

The realization he was managing his hometown Astros struck home for Bo Porter on Monday, when he was taking his 4-year-old son, Bryce, to preschool before driving to Minute Maid Park for his first day on the job.

For the fourth consecutive year, Major League Baseball will use the World Series as a platform to raise global awareness for important causes and leave a special imprint on two metropolitan areas.