After the Tigers won for the fourth time in five games Tuesday night, the phone lines lit up on 97.1, The Ticket, the flagship radio station for their games.
One caller compared the Tigers to the ’69 Miracle New York Mets.
Another said they were on an ascent similar to the recent World Series champ Kansas City Royals.
The next morning, a couple hosts on the station debated if fan favorite JaCoby Jones is a budding star. They determined he wasn’t on the level of Miguel Cabrera, Bryce Harper or Kris Bryant, but perhaps another Kirk Gibson.
Hey, after the beating Cleveland for the second straight night, and taking four of five against .500 or better teams (Seattle, too), the Tigers were a game out of the American League Central lead,
Then the Tigers took the field Wednesday afternoon on an absolutely postcard-picture perfect day for baseball.
Cleveland took a 2-0 edge in the top of the first, and Jones hurt his hip legging out a ground ball to lead off the bottom of the frame, leaving the game. Reality hit home in the Tigers’ 6-0 loss.
The Tigers are 19-23. It’s their worst record after 42 games since 2008. Call it the value of low expectations...
It is, to say the least, a strange dynamic. People are into this team. I’ve heard continually the last few days, while talking to dozens of fans, that they feel this is refreshing and different. Even if deep down it’s understood the Tigers aren’t that good and will be sellers at the trade deadline, they don’t want to hear about it.
The Tigers have come from behind far more than anticipated. They started to play better after resident star Miguel Cabrera went out of the lineup.
Jones, in truth, is a questionable hitter with a below-AL average OPS. He is likely having his 15 minutes of MLB and Tigers’ fame. But he is a terrific fielder, has some speed, is fun to watch and for fans to root on. And you never know about a player like JaCoby Jones…or….Niko Goodrum…or Matthew Boyd...
There is a collective sigh of relief from baseball fans in this town, and from the Tigers’ organization itself, because the MLB club isn’t that bad. In fact, Wednesday was an exception. Most games, the Tigers have been close, even when they’ve lost.
I just strongly think the Tigers should keep their eyes focused on their long-term plan. Increased emphasis and implementation of analytics has clearly helped, especially in the manner the Tigers’ pitching staff is setting up hitters. Manager Ron Gardenhire has proven to be a good leader for this club. He’s preached the notion of opportunity, and proving the world wrong as the prohibitive underdog. It’s working well with his team.
“We’ve had some pretty good ball games,” Gardenhire said. “We’re a little beat up now, but we’ll have to deal with it.
“We believe. That’s the big thing. We have to believe in this clubhouse. It was a bit of a bummer today, but that guy (Cleveland starting pitcher Trevor Bauer who struck out 10) really shut us down.”
Will it ultimately be necessary for the Tigers to call in Al Michaels for the, “Do you believe in miracles!!!” line.
No.
But that doesn’t mean this town can’t have fun with baseball and this particular team.
Because they are interesting, intriguing and worthy of the attention.
Even if it is, at times, a bit overzealous.