2006 Detroit Tigers season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
2006 Detroit Tigers
American League Champions
Major league affiliations
Location
2006 Information
Owner(s) Mike Ilitch
Manager(s) Jim Leyland
Local television FSN Detroit
WDWB
(Mario Impemba, Rod Allen)
Local radio WXYT
(Jim Price, Dan Dickerson)

The 2006 Detroit Tigers won the American League Pennant. They represented the AL in the World Series before falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 1. The season was their 106th since they entered the AL in 1901.

Contents

[edit] Regular season

The Detroit Tigers were baseball's surprise success story of 2006.[1] After years of futility, the 2006 season had the Tigers surging to the top of the major league standings in May, a position they did not relinquish until the final day of the season.[2] The play of veterans like Rogers and Jones, the emergence of previously unestablished players Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge, Craig Monroe and Marcus Thames, and significant production from erstwhile All-Stars Iván Rodríguez, Magglio Ordóñez and Carlos Guillén all contributed to the team's success.

A great deal of credit was also given to manager Jim Leyland. On April 17, after a loss dropped the team's record to 7-7, the manager launched into a tirade against the team about its lack of effort, telling the media, "We stunk." It appeared to light a fire under the players, spurring them on to a stretch in which they won 28 of 35 games.[3] Leyland repeatedly preached the concept of playing hard for nine full innings, and the players took up that mantra, as evidenced not just by their words but also by the team's propensity for late-inning clutch hits, rallies and comebacks.[4]

Statistically, the biggest factor in the team's success was its pitching, which led the major leagues in ERA and shutouts.[5][6] Rookie Justin Verlander won the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and fellow starters Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson, as well as rookie reliever Joel Zumaya, all had noteworthy seasons. There was concern when starter Mike Maroth had to undergo surgery early in the season, but his replacement Zach Miner proved to be adequate.

The Tigers' newfound success attracted a new generation of fans, many of whom who had never seen winning baseball in Detroit before.[7] Tigers fans traveled to road games in large numbers, most notably at the interleague series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field from June 16-18. The crowd could be heard chanting "Let's Go Tigers!" throughout all three games, all of which were Detroit victories.[8]

One doubt many fans and pundits had was whether the Tigers could compete against other top-tier American League teams. Early in the season, the team lost series to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and lost five of six games to the reigning World Series champion (and AL Central rival) Chicago White Sox.[9] But on July 20, at a game which featured a particularly stirring rendition of the national anthem by local opera singer Eugene Zweig,[10] and a standing-room-only crowd that included actor Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard,[11] the Tigers beat White Sox pitching ace José Contreras to take the series two games to one from the White Sox, the team's first series victory against an upper-echelon AL team in 2006. In their next two series, against the AL West division-leading Oakland Athletics, and the red-hot Minnesota Twins, who were 34-8 over their previous 42 games, the Tigers also won two out of three.

On July 31, Tigers management traded minor-league pitcher Brian Rogers to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for left-handed hitting and three-time All Star first baseman Sean Casey.[12] The move added a left-handed bat to the lineup, especially necessary after Dmitri Young was released in September.

On August 7, the Tigers were 40 games above .500 (76-36) and cruising. They would lose their next five games, and the last six weeks of the season were punctuated by a nosedive, as Plácido Polanco's separated shoulder and suddenly-silent bats led to a 19-31 record in the last 50 games of the season.

Only the big cushion built in the summer saved the Tigers from one of baseball's most famous collapses, but even that couldn't save a division title. On October 1, despite a rare relief appearance from Kenny Rogers, the Tigers fell out of the top spot in the American League Central with a 10-8 extra-inning loss to the Kansas City Royals in their last regular season game. Detroit lost their last five games, all at home, against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Royals.

The loss made the Tigers the wild card entrant in the American League Playoffs; their opening-round opponent would be the New York Yankees. The Tigers ended the regular season with a 95-67 record.

[edit] Highlights

There were many memorable moments during the regular season. Some of the highlights:

  • On April 20, the Tigers came into the ninth down 3-1, but clutch hits tied the game, and Brandon Inge's resolute 15-pitch walk (Jim Leyland called it a "1½ Marlboro" at-bat, in reference to his noted chain-smoking when in the dugout) forced in the winning run.[14]
  • On May 3, in the eighth inning of a tense pitching duel, Brandon Inge beat a throw to second to avoid a double play, then Alexis Gomez singled him in for a 2-1 comeback victory.[15]
  • On May 20, Cincinnati's Ken Griffey, Jr. hit a grand slam that put the Reds up, 6-5, but with two outs in the ninth inning, Curtis Granderson hit a home run that tied the game, and the Tigers won in extra innings.[16]
  • On June 1, hits by Ivan Rodríguez and Magglio Ordóñez (and gum-chewing by Nate Robertson) set up Carlos Guillén's game-winning ("walk-off") single, completing a five-run comeback and defeating the Yankees.[17]
  • On June 18, Kenny Rogers won his 200th game, becoming only the 26th left-hander in baseball history to do so.[18]
  • On June 27, Roger Clemens hurled a three-hitter, but Nate Robertson outpitched him and the Tigers won, 4-0.[19]
  • On July 11, the 2006 All-Star Game featured three Tigers--Rodríguez, Kenny Rogers and Ordóñez--for the first time since 1987. Rodríguez was voted as a starter, while Rogers was named the starting pitcher.[20] The battery combination of Rogers and Rodríguez was the first time a Tigers pitcher threw to a Tigers catcher to start the Mid-Summer Classic since Denny McLain threw to Bill Freehan in 1966.[21]
  • On July 14, in a tie game, with two out and two on in the top of the ninth, reliever Todd Jones faced dangerous slugger Mark Teahen, who had already hit two home runs in the game. Jones threw Teahen every pitch he could, and Teahen repeatedly fouled each pitch off. Finally Jim Leyland walked to the mound—where he told Jones his visit was a ruse, designed to fool Teahen into thinking Jones would be throwing anything but a fastball. Leyland walked off the field, Jones threw a fastball, and Teahen swung and missed for strike three. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Guillén hit the Tigers' first walk-off home run of the season for the victory. After the game, Jones said of Leyland's visit to the mound: "I thought, ‘Wow, you’re a really good manager.[22]’"
  • On July 20 (see above), the Tigers essentially beat the White Sox on a Marcus Thames slide into second. The slide broke up a seemingly sure double play, which allowed the winning run to score later that inning.[24]
  • On July 24, the Tigers became the first team since the 1891 St. Louis Cardinals to score 5 runs or more in the first inning in three consecutive games.[25]
  • On August 5, Iván Rodríguez hit a walk-off home run with two outs in the ninth inning to complete a comeback against the Cleveland Indians.[28]
  • On August 27, a 7-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians secured the Tigers an 82nd victory—and their first winning season since 1993.
  • On August 30, with two outs in the top of the ninth, Craig Monroe blasted a dramatic three-run home run, erasing a one-run deficit, stunning the crowd at Yankee Stadium, and giving the Tigers a 5-3 come-from-behind victory over the Yankees.[29]
  • On September 12, Craig Monroe tied a club record with three outfield assists, including throwing two runners out at the plate, and Carlos Guillén slugged two home runs, one from each side of the plate, the second being a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth that won the game, 3-2, over the Texas Rangers.[30]
  • On September 23, the Tigers scored ten runs in the first inning in a 15-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The game marked Plácido Polanco's return from the disabled list; he had three hits.[31]
  • On September 24, the Tigers scored nine runs in the second inning en route to a 11-4 victory. The win secured their first playoff appearance since 1987.[32]

[edit] Season standings

AL Central W L GB Pct.
Minnesota Twins 96 66 .593
Detroit Tigers 95 67 1 .586
Chicago White Sox 90 72 6 .556
Cleveland Indians 78 84 18 .481
Kansas City Royals 62 100 34 .383

[edit] Game log

2006 Game Log

[edit] Player stats

[edit] Batting

Note: Pos = Position, G = Games played, AB = At Bats, H = Hits, Avg. = Batting Average, HR = Home Runs, RBI = Runs Batted In

Player Pos G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Carlos Guillén SS 153 543 174 .320 19 85
Iván Rodríguez C 136 547 164 .300 13 69
Magglio Ordóñez RF 155 593 177 .298 24 104
Plácido Polanco 2B 110 461 136 .295 4 52
Vance Wilson C 56 152 43 .283 5 67
Brent Clevlen OF 31 39 11 .282 3 6
Omar Infante 2B 78 224 62 .277 4 25
Chris Shelton 1B 115 373 102 .273 16 47
Alexis Gómez LF 62 103 28 .272 1 6
Curtis Granderson CF 159 596 155 .260 19 68
Marcus Thames LF 110 348 89 .256 26 60
Craig Monroe LF 147 541 138 .255 28 92
Brandon Inge 3B 159 542 137 .253 27 83
Dmitri Young DH 48 172 43 .250 7 23
Sean Casey 1B 53 184 45 .245 5 30
Matt Stairs DH 14 41 10 .244 2 8
Ramón Santiago SS 43 80 18 .225 0 3
Neifi Pérez 2B 21 65 13 .200 0 5
Jack Hannahan 1B 3 9 0 .000 0 0
Mike Rabelo DH 1 1 0 .000 0 0

Note: pitchers' batting statistics not included

[edit] Pitching

[edit] Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Justin Verlander 30 186 17 9 3.63 124
Kenny Rogers 34 204 17 8 3.84 99
Nate Robertson 32 208⅔ 13 13 3.84 137
Jeremy Bonderman 34 214 14 8 4.08 202
Mike Maroth 13 53⅔ 5 2 4.19 24
Zach Miner 27 93 7 6 4.84 59

[edit] Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W= Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; HLD= Holds; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV HLD ERA SO
Chad Durbin 3 0 0 0 0 1.50 3
Joel Zumaya 62 6 3 1 30 1.94 97
Jamie Walker 56 0 1 0 11 2.81 37
Colby Lewis 2 0 0 0 0 3.00 5
Chris Spurling 9 0 0 0 0 3.18 4
Fernando Rodney 63 7 4 7 18 3.52 65
Wilfredo Ledezma 24 3 3 0 2 3.58 39
Todd Jones 62 2 6 37 0 3.94 28
Jason Grilli 51 2 3 0 9 4.21 31
Román Colón 20 2 0 1 3 4.89 25
Andrew Miller 8 0 1 0 1 6.10 6
Jordan Tata 8 0 0 0 0 6.14 6
Bobby Seay 14 0 0 0 0 6.46 12

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] American League Division Series

The New York Yankees were heavy favorites over the Tigers to win the series because of their "modern-day Murderers' Row" lineup. All nine batters were current or former All-Stars.[33] The Yankees won the first game, 8-4.

In Game 2, the Tigers took an early 1-0 lead before Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer for New York in the 4th inning. The Tigers came back with single runs in the 5th, 6th, and 7th to come from behind to win, 4-3.

In Game 3, which was the first postseason game played in Detroit since 1987, the Tigers shut out the Yankees, 6-0. Kenny Rogers pitched 7⅔ scoreless innings and struck out eight in winning for the first time in his postseason career[34] and defeated the Yankees for the first time since 1993.

In Game 4, the Tigers defeated the Yankees 8-3 to win the American League Division Series, 3 games to 1. Jeremy Bonderman threw a perfect game through five innings, and allowed just one run on five singles over his 8⅓ innings in giving the Tigers a second straight dominating starting pitching performance.

The final out kicked off a joyous celebration of players and fans throughout Comerica Park and Downtown Detroit. The celebration even included Kenny Rogers pouring champagne over a police officer's head (he can be seen on video clearly asking permission before doing so). In the process of winning the final three games, the Tigers held the fearsome Yankees lineup scoreless for 20⅔ consecutive innings (from the 4th inning of Game 2 until the 7th inning of Game 4) while scoring 17 runs in that span.[35].

[edit] American League Championship Series

The Tigers faced the Oakland Athletics, winners of the American League Western Division. The A's had defeated the Minnesota Twins in a three-game sweep in the ALDS.

The Tigers won Game 1, 5-1, as Nate Robertson scattered six hits and three walks over his five shutout innings. In the fourth inning, with men on second and third and nobody out, Robertson memorably struck out the side to preserve his own victory.[36]

Detroit also won Game 2, 8-5. Oakland had an early two-run lead before the Tigers' four-run fourth inning gave them the lead for good. Seldom-used outfielder Alexis Gomez got the surprise start as the designated hitter. Gomez hit a home run and drove in four RBIs as another example of Jim Leyland's managerial prowess.[37]

Returning to Comerica Park for Game 3, the Tigers shut out the A's, 3-0. Kenny Rogers was masterful again, allowing only two singles and running his scoreless streak to 15 innings, and the A's did not get a hit off relievers Fernando Rodney and Todd Jones. The two hits were the fewest allowed in a post-season game in franchise history.[38]

In Game 4, Oakland jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Detroit, looking to sweep the A's, fought back to tie the game on a solo home run by Magglio Ordóñez in the 6th inning. In the bottom of the ninth with two outs and runners on first and second base, Ordóñez hit his second home run of the night, a three-run walk-off home run off of A's closer Huston Street that sent the Tigers to their first World Series since 1984. The American League Pennant was the tenth in Tigers history, and the pennant was won with a walk-off home run for only the third time ever[39] (The last team to do it were the 2003 New York Yankees, when Aaron Boone hit a walk off home run to defeat Boston.).

[edit] World Series

The Cardinals won the first game of the World Series in Detroit 7-2, behind excellent pitching from unheralded Cardinals starter Anthony Reyes.

In Game Two, Kenny Rogers continued his astounding postseason, allowing two hits and no runs through eight innings, as the Tigers triumphed 3-1.

But the Tigers lost the next three games. They were shut out 5-0 in game three by Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter; they lost a 5-4 heartbreaker in game four; and in game 5, the Tigers committed two costly errors, lost a 2-1 lead, and fell 4-2. In the first inning rookie pitcher Justin Verlander threw two wild pitches, tying the Series record (AP); this was in sharp contrast to the five total that he had thrown in all of his previous games. Verlander would go on to commit a throwing error in the fourth inning, allowing the tying run to score.[40]

In the series, the Tigers committed eight errors, five by the pitching staff alone, the most in World Series history. The Tigers' World Series loss was disappointing, but it did not diminish the Tigers' remarkable turnaround.

[edit] Postseason player stats

[edit] Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Sean Casey 10 37 16 .432 2 9
Carlos Guillén 13 47 17 .362 1 4
Alexis Gómez 6 12 4 .333 1 4
Omar Infante 2 3 1 .333 0 0
Plácido Polanco 13 51 16 .314 0 4
Brandon Inge 13 44 12 .273 1 4
Craig Monroe 13 50 12 .240 5 9
Marcus Thames 8 21 5 .238 0 1
Curtis Granderson 13 53 12 .226 3 7
Magglio Ordóñez 13 51 10 .196 3 8
Iván Rodríguez 13 48 8 .167 1 5
Ramón Santiago 6 12 1 .083 0 0
Neifi Pérez 3 4 0 .000 0 0
Jeremy Bonderman 3 2 0 .000 0 0
Justin Verlander 4 2 0 .000 0 0

[edit] Pitching

[edit] Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Kenny Rogers 3 23 3 0 0.00 19
Jeremy Bonderman 3 20⅓ 1 0 3.10 11
Nate Robertson 3 15⅔ 1 2 5.17 8
Justin Verlander 4 21⅔ 1 2 5.82 23

[edit] Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W= Wins; L= Losses; SV = Saves; HLD= Holds; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV HLD ERA SO
Todd Jones 7 0 0 4 0 0.00 4
Jason Grilli 5 0 0 0 1 0.00 1
Zach Miner 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0
Wilfredo Ledezma 4 1 0 0 1 2.25 2
Fernando Rodney 7 0 0 0 2 2.35 9
Joel Zumaya 6 0 1 0 1 3.00 6
Jamie Walker 5 1 0 0 0 4.15 3

[edit] External links

  • Game Logs:
1st Half: Detroit Tigers Game Log on ESPN.com
2nd Half: Detroit Tigers Game Log on ESPN.com

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tigers Have Baseball's Surprise Tale - washingtonpost.com
  2. ^ http://www.startribune.com/179/story/579907.html
  3. ^ Detnews.com | This article is no longer available online
  4. ^ Tigers rally past Cards, first to 50 wins - Baseball - MSNBC.com
  5. ^ USATODAY.com - Tigers could stand to solidify place on food chain
  6. ^ http://www.topix.net/content/kri/3696798040111721852119248710861457764388
  7. ^ Detnews.com | This article is no longer available online
  8. ^ USATODAY.com - Telling tales of the Tigers
  9. ^ Article not found | February 11, 2008 | AHN
  10. ^ Raskin, D. "Trash the Tuxes," page 51. The Detroit Jewish News, August 3, 2006.
  11. ^ ESPN - Tigers beat Contreras, win series from White Sox - MLB
  12. ^ ESPN - Tigers get Pirates 1B Casey, send Shelton to minors - MLB
  13. ^ The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News
  14. ^ The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News
  15. ^ Los Angeles Angels, Alexis Gomez, Brandon Inge, Jeff Weaver, Major League Baseball, Detroit Tigers - CBSSports.com
  16. ^ MLB - Cincinnati Reds/Detroit Tigers Recap Saturday May 20, 2006 - Yahoo! Sports
  17. ^ The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News
  18. ^ The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News
  19. ^ ABC News: ABC News
  20. ^ Tigers' stars live up to their big contracts
  21. ^ Rogers, Penny will start All-Star game - Boston.com
  22. ^ The Official Site of The Detroit Tigers: News: Detroit Tigers News
  23. ^ Chicago White Sox, Craig Monroe, Todd Jones, Jeremy Bonderman, Major League Baseball, Detroit Tigers, Hanshin Tigers - CBSSports.com
  24. ^ Chicago White Sox, Marcus Thames, Chris Shelton, Jose A. Contreras, Major League Baseball, Detroit Tigers - CBSSports.com
  25. ^ MLB - Detroit Tigers/Cleveland Indians Recap Monday July 24, 2006 - Yahoo! Sports
  26. ^ Detroit Tigers, Craig Monroe, Zach Miner, Francisco Liriano, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins - CBSSports.com
  27. ^ Detroit Tigers, Carlos Guillen, Justin Verlander, Sean Casey, Major League Baseball, Tampa Bay Devil Rays - CBSSports.com
  28. ^ http://sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/recap/MLB_20060805_CLE@DET
  29. ^ The article requested can not be found! Please refresh your browser or go back. (C4,20060831,SPORTS02,608310410,AR)
  30. ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer: MLB
  31. ^ Tigers reduce playoff magic number to 1 - Baseball - MSNBC.com
  32. ^ ESPN - Win and in: Tigers clinch first playoff berth since 1987 - MLB
  33. ^ [1][dead link]
  34. ^ Rogers, Tigers shut down Yankees - Baseball - MSNBC.com
  35. ^ [2][dead link]
  36. ^ The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Major League Baseball News
  37. ^ ESPN - Gomez HR, four RBI spark Tigers to 2-0 ALCS lead - MLB
  38. ^ Tigers move one step closer
  39. ^ The article requested can not be found! Please refresh your browser or go back. (C4,20061015,SPORTS02,610150666,AR)
  40. ^ Yahoo! Sports - Sports News, Scores, Rumors, Fantasy Games, and more
Preceded by
Boston Red Sox
2005
AL Wild Card
2006
Succeeded by
New York Yankees
2007
Preceded by
Chicago White Sox
2005
American League champion
2006
Succeeded by
Boston Red Sox
2007
Personal tools
Languages