Detroit — This is how it was supposed to be, two edgy rivals battling it out. This is how the Tigers envisioned their rebound, bringing up the kids to bolster the core. This is how rookies Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle envisioned it, playing together in big games in the big leagues.
This is how the Tigers are putting their season back together, in steady, stirring fashion. Dismissed after a horrid start and a dispiriting trade deadline, they look retooled and renewed, and not just because they finally beat their rival. The Tigers’ 6-4 victory over the Guardians Tuesday night before a Comerica Park crowd of 30,709 was the typical sweaty affair, but with a different ending.
That’s what the Tigers are desperately trying to do — craft a different ending. They’ve won eight of their last 10 to climb to 59-60, one game out of a wild-card spot, 2½ games behind the White Sox in the division. In some ways, they’ve come out of nowhere, although not really.
We always knew the talented youngsters were coming. Clark made his home debut, joining his buddy, McGonigle, who’s already one of the best players in baseball. Naturally, Clark scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning on a double by McGonigle. AJ Hinch foreshadowed a more athletic team and it was on display all night, with aggressive baserunning and terrific defense.
The Tigers’ bullpen is still periodically scary, but the once-anemic offense is rolling. Naturally, because every Tigers-Guardians game has to be decided by the narrowest margins, it came down to the ninth. Closer Kenley Jansen finally ended it, after allowing a hit, two walks and a run. Jansen, 38, is as much a symbol of the Tigers’ tribulations as anyone, shaking off several rough outings.
“We had an awful start, but they remember how you finish,” Jansen said. “If we step up, I don’t think there’s anybody better than us in this division, respectfully. We just gotta be hungry, because Cleveland is playing like they want it bad. … We gotta get better. I have to get way better than what I am this year. Everybody in the pen has to get better.”
You could say the pressure was off once the Tigers traded Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, dimming expectations. They never believed that, and don’t look now, but they’re turning the pressure back on. It had been 13 days since they played at Comerica Park, and the only thing that changed was their disposition. And their roster composition. And most dramatically, their playoff position.
It’s no longer a question of whether the Tigers are back in contention. It’s a matter of how far in they can get, and how long they can stay. They went 7-2 on a West Coast trip, navigated the trade deadline and emerged as if reborn.
‘Didn’t write ourselves off’
From 16 games under .500, they’re tantalizingly close to break-even in the midst of a pivotal homestand. With six games this week against the rival Guardians and White Sox, the Tigers have a chance to be the ones who emerge from the American League muck. (Hey, someone has to do it). From their 6-22 May misery, the Tigers have transformed perhaps into division favorites, 37-22 since June 1.
Scott Harris and Hinch said they weren’t done when they traded Skubal and Mize, and they’re clearly not. They are different. Younger. Faster. They’re not as top-heavy in pitching but playing with a sharper edge. They heard what everyone said after they blew that 7-0 lead against the Orioles two weeks ago, which precipitated the trades.
“We definitely didn’t write ourselves off,” Riley Greene said before the game. “We knew from the beginning of the year that we’re capable of this. A lot of people did write us off. I think mostly everyone did.”
I think he’s mostly right. Greene scored the first run Tuesday night after getting hit on the right leg with a Tanner Bibee pitch. Spencer Torkelson followed with an RBI double and the Tigers hung tight as starter Drew Anderson kept escaping trouble.
Greene later left with hamstring tightness, not good to see. But the Tigers are reacting to most adversity these days with a shrug. They’ve overcome ridiculous odds before, and it was precisely two years ago on Aug. 11, 2024, when they had a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs. Since then, they’ve reached the playoffs twice, won two wild-card rounds and gone 177-148, second-best in the AL in that span.
So when they sat at 22-38 on May 31, no sweat. (Actually, lots of sweat). But injured players returned, notably Gleyber Torres, Jackson Jobe and Javy Báez. Troy Melton has grown into an elite pitcher, Dillon Dingler has become the best catcher in baseball and McGonigle has continued crafting one of the finest rookie seasons ever, flawlessly scooping hot grounders to third all night.
Don’t overlook the veterans who have been here before. But don’t overlook the audacity of youth, from Melton, 25, to Jobe, 24, to McGonigle, 21, to Clark, 21, a center fielder oozing energy and speed. The Tigers needed some kind of boost against the Guardians, who had beaten them six straight this year, 11 of 12 times overall.
The boost came in the fifth inning with the game tied at 1. Clark rifled a one-out single and Báez followed with a hit. A batter later, McGonigle rocketed a two-run double for a 3-1 lead, and the rookie-sparked rally turned the game.
“It was awesome, start to finish,” said Clark, whose first nine MLB games were on the road. “Crowd was into it. I was into it. You really can’t draw it up any better. And beating a rival in the division was huge.”
Time to tune in
Clark and McGonigle have been buddies rising through the ranks together, and this was the day they often dreamed of, playing together for the parent club. Clark was the Tigers’ No. 3 overall pick in 2023 but struggled at first, and had to follow McGonigle to the majors.
Bonds are formed through shared struggles and the Tigers have shared plenty the past two-plus seasons. After the organization made the appropriate decision to trade Skubal and Mize, both pending free agents, the Tigers seem to have grown even tighter. The pressure of the unknown with Skubal was gone, and forced the Tigers to look inward.
“I think it’s just less eyes are on us,” said McGonigle, hitting .288 with an .822 OPS. “It felt like people gave up on us. I feel there’s a lot of people against us, and everyone is using that as fuel. In my career so far, that’s the best time to go out and prove people wrong. When you got people not believing in you, I think that’s a really good thing.”
The Tigers are turning it into a really interesting thing, yet again. Clark chose “Dead Fresh” by rapper Lil Baby as his walk-up song, unintentionally poetic. The Tigers have gone from dead to fresh, and two years after they launched their miraculous rally, their playoff odds are much higher than 0.2%. According to FanGraphs, they sit at 37.9%, which might surprise everyone but them.
Those odds will shift with every twist and every inning, and the tension Tuesday night was only the start. The Tigers and Guardians have met in the playoffs the past two seasons and split the series.
“I’m sure there was a game (against the Guardians) in the last handful of years that wasn’t this way, but man, I can’t remember it,” Hinch said. “It just feels like every game, there’s either a close win or loss, there’s a big hit, a big defensive play, sitting on the edge of your seat. We’ve got a few more against these guys, so stay tuned.”
A lot of people tuned out. A lot are tuning back in. It’s not the exact same movie but it’s looking familiar, perhaps with a different ending.
bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
@bobwojnowski
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wojo: Red-hot Tigers writing familiar script, with a boost from the kids
Reporting by Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
