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    • The magic of the Detroit Tigers hasn’t been seen in these parts in a generation
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    The magic of the Detroit Tigers hasn’t been seen in these parts in a generation

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    There are so many things to talk about and so many starting points. But really, if you think about it, where do we start… and what’s there to say about it?

    That the Detroit Tigers won again?

    Yes, they did that, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3.

    That they came from behind with two runs in the sixth and two more in the eighth? A three-inning effort that began with a two-out, two-strike walk and ended with a sacrifice fly against one of the nastiest relievers in baseball?

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    Yes, the Tigers just did that, picking up two wins in the postseason with three games left. A Minnesota loss on Thursday night would reduce the magic number to one, but that’s already beyond the pale.

    Because the story began at the beginning of August and still no one can explain it adequately, because sometimes some things just can’t be explained.

    “This is an incredible experience,” said manager AJ Hinch, “and we don’t want or need to stop.”

    The Tigers’ captain smiled at Comerica Park on Thursday afternoon, and if you looked closely, you could see a little incredulity in his smile. And why not?

    Hinch has been involved in the game for more than 30 years. He’s led dominant teams and won a World Series, but he’s never been a part of anything like this.

    Is there magic involved, someone asked?

    “I don’t know,” he said, grinning, “but if you do, bottle it and take it on to the ballpark. We believe… (and) there is a new energy every day because of what is going on and what we believe we can achieve. Whether that is so magicwhether that is Momentumwhether that is Mojowhether that is Mood …we love it and we want more of it.’

    Clearly something is happening here in a way that feels historic. Maybe not to baseball, but definitely to Detroit. Think of another team in this city that has come from so far this late in the season and found itself on the brink of something… well, magical.

    The Lions from two years ago? When they started 1-6, forced their owner to meet with reporters to give a “Da, da” speech and reiterated her belief in the new coach and general manager, and then eight of the next 10 games ripped off?

    That’s close, but the Lions narrowly missed the playoffs because it’s difficult to advance from so far down. And no team in the last generation of Detroit sports has done what the Tigers have a chance of doing.

    The Tigers are now 30-11 in their last 41 games. That may not be an all-time streak in baseball — heck, the same franchise once famously started the season 35-5 — but that winning streak was followed by several months of losses.

    It’s the context that’s so remarkable. The 35-5 Tigers were good from the start and won until the final game of the season. These Tigers were eight games under .500 as of August 11th.

    Eight.

    On August 10th – 118 games in the season.

    And while the players may say they never gave up – and they clearly haven’t – none of them expected this. Do you blame them? How can you see history before it happens?

    According to MLB.com, only one team in MLB history has made the postseason after falling eight games under .500 in at least 115 games of the season: the 1973 New York Mets.

    All right, the Tigers wouldn’t be first. But considering the MLB is 121 years old, I’d say the Tigers have two wins in history. Not just any old story, though. The kind that grabs a region by the heart and tugs.

    Another comeback victory? Another one-run win?

    The Tigers have played 55 one-run games this season, the most in the majors and the most for the franchise since 1976. They won 31 of those games. What’s even more incredible is that they have won 13 of their last 15 such games.

    Yes, something is happening.

    No wonder Matt Vierling howled when he hit home plate in the eighth inning on Thursday, giving the Tigers their first lead of the day. He had sprinted from third base on a sacrifice fly by Justyn-Henry Malloy, who pinch-hit Kerry Carpenter in the sixth inning, who pinch-hit Spencer Torkelson in the sixth inning, and a single in Colt Keith scored a pinch-hit triple early in the inning to drive home, you guessed it, four of a kind.

    The same foursome who came to the plate in the sixth with two outs and nobody out and who drew a walk after falling behind reliever Hunter Bigge. As Hinch later discovered, none of his people try to be the hero. They just want to get on base, move the runner or find the green for a single.

    This walk initiated the comeback. His entry into the house ended the whole thing. After touching the plate, he screamed, jumped up, clenched his fist, and screamed some more. Malloy hit him near home plate.

    “I kind of lost consciousness,” he said.

    When he came to, Vierling “was like it was in my face. And I thought, ‘Yeah! That’s great. Let’s go and move on!’ It was a really cool moment.”

    Hinch had told Malloy to be ready before the game. That Tampa had to throw out four left-handed hitters, including starter Tyler Alexander – yeah, The Tyler Alexander, who used to pitch here in Detroit. And that at some point he would need Malloy to meet him.

    He wasn’t sure when. But he knew it was coming.

    “It’s just this game of chess on a baseball field,” Malloy said of Hinch’s maneuver, “and it’s awesome.” It’s really cool to be there, to sit back and watch, and if you get the chance to be a part of it. …”

    Well, you get the point. Stay ready. Be ready. If there is an explanation for this cosmic episode of baseball, perhaps this is it.

    As Malloy said:

    “We all want these big places. Nobody is afraid of them. Pitchers want the ball. Batters want to be in the box. I think it’s just a fight at the racket.”

    And none of them mind, not really. Yes, they want to play. Who wouldn’t do that? But they accept that there is something inexplicable going on, and they want to be a part of it, however and whenever they can.

    So Malloy waits his turn. And Carpenter is waiting be turn. And Casey Mize happily accepts the ball in the fifth inning after Reese Olson gives the go-ahead run. And Torkelson cheers from the dugout after being pulled for Carpenter, who then has everyone cheering after being pulled for Malloy.

    Let’s move on.

    The movements of a maestro. The sound of a symphony where everyone can play almost any instrument and no one argues about the position of the chair.

    “It’s just a normal part of our game,” Carpenter said. “We know that when we pass the baton to the next guy, (the next guy) has a great chance to get the job done.”

    Magic?

    What else could it be?

    Contact Shawn Windsor: [email protected]. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

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    Madoc Meredith
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