2009 DETROIT TIGERS

The 109^th season of the Detroit Tigers started off gradually, but by May 10^th, they saw themselves sitting ferociously atop the American League Central Division. The Tigers would be there for 164 days straight, always a tiger, or so their slogan went. 

The Tigers' home opener was on April 10 against the Texas Rangers. The Tigers won that game 15–2, which included a grand slam home run by Miguel Cabrera and swept the Rangers in the three game series.

The Tigers swept their rivals the Indians in Cleveland during the second weekend of May, and completed back-to-back sweeps in May, against Oakland and Texas once again. The Tigers also completed back-to-back sweeps in late June, over the Brewers and Cubs! It seems like the Tigers were playing like… well, tigers.

On May 15, the Tigers hit 2 grand slammers in a game, only the third time in Tiger team history. Although the Tigers were making a lot of noise at home, winning 51 of 81 games, on the road they were winning only 35 of 41.

The Tigers completed back-to-back sweeps against the Indians and Rays in early September. Then the final week of the season saw them with 4 games left to play and needing only one game to clinch. It never happened! Having a home game four days before the season ended against the second-place Minnesota Twins with a chance to clinch the division, they lost that one, and the Twins swept the next three at home while the Tigers won once to force a one-game playoff after the regular season. The Twins won 6-5 in 12 innings in a classic game, one the Tigers led in the 10th inning in the final regular-season game in the Metrodome. Detroit is the only team to blow a three-game lead with four to play.

The Tigers did not play like tigers those final four days, more like pussycats.

That’s all I wrote, Folks!