Detroit Tigers represent AL Central in World Series

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 10/18/2006

After losing seven straight games to finish the American League regular season and allowing the Minnesota Twins to steal the American League Central title on the very last day of the season, the Detroit Tigers are in the World Series for the first time since 1984. Under first-year Manager Jim Leyland, the Tigers were baseball’s best team for most of the year before slumping down the stretch.

 

 It was just 2003 when the Tigers were the laughing stock of baseball after losing 119 games. This year they won 95 games, one of the great turnarounds in baseball history.

 

The Tigers led Major League Baseball with the lowest team ERA at 3.77; they were also baseball’s best road team. After losing game one of the American Division playoff to the New York Yankees, they rebounded and won the series 3-1.

 

They then swept the Oakland A’s 4-0. That means the Tigers have won seven straight post-season games and are the second straight team from the AL Central to reach the World Series. The Twins won the division but were swept by Oakland 3-0 in the division series.

 

In fact, the Twins, under Manager Ron Gardenhire, have won the division four of the last five years. But unlike the Chicago White Sox, who won the World Series in 2005, and the 2006 Tigers, who are in the World Series waiting on the National League winner — either New York or St. Louis — the Twins have failed in the playoffs.

 

Because of their failure, Major League Baseball (MLB) will face the embarrassment of becoming the first professional sports league to have a wild card team (the Tigers) gaining the home field advantage in the best-of-seven World Series. MLB decided a few years ago, after the All-Star game ended a tie, that the All-Star game-winning league would gain the home field advantage in the biggest series of them all, the World Series.

 

The Tigers improved their winning percentage from 2005 by +.148 percent, the best in baseball. Right now, the Tigers are in position to do what only the 1987 Twins and the 2000 Yankees did: lose five straight games to finish the regular season and still win the World Series.

 

 

 

Fitz Notes & Quotes

 

A record total of 76,043,902 fans attended Major League Baseball games in the 2006 regular season. “Reaching 76 million is simply a stunning accomplishment,” said Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.

 

Eight teams topped the three million mark in attendance, 14 drew over 2.5 million, and 24 teams eclipsed two million. The New York Yankees became the first U.S. team to draw 4,238,067 fans, joining the Toronto Blue Jays (1991-93) as the only teams to attract four million fans twice in a season.

 

A team of MLB All-Stars will travel to Japan in November to play in the newly formatted, best-of-five games championship competition against Nippon Professional Baseball in All-Star Series 2006.

 

Three Twins earned the opportunity and were selected to represent the MLB: Johan Santana, the Twins ace and American League Triple Crown leader in ERA (2.77), wins (19-6), and strikeouts (245); American League Batting Champion (.347) Joe Mauer; and closer Joe Nathan (7-0, 1.58 ERA, 36 saves).

 

The Twins picked up the option for one year on five-time Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter at $12 million for 2007. Hunter will earn the highest contract in team history for one year.

 

MLB should consider revoking the credentials of Sport Illustrated after the magazine published a front page highlighting an All-Time Major League Baseball team that did not have on its team the number-two home run hitter in the history of baseball (734), number-one RBI man (1,930), and seven-time MVP — Barry Bonds.

 

There are 78 foreign-born players in the NFL in 2006. The Minnesota Vikings have three of these players: FB Tony Richardson ( Germany ), DE Erasmus James (St. Kitts), and guard Anthony Herrera ( Trinidad ).