Now that the sting of losing the ALDS to the Guardians has faded, we can look back with pride and delight on the most satisfying Tigers season in many years.
Here are the top 10 memories that will keep me warm while, as Rogers Hornsby said, I stare out the window and wait for spring. (Links go to videos on X)
Who knows if Keider Montero will be part of the Tigers' future, or if this was a fringe pitcher having the night of his life. But Montero stepped up when the Tigers needed him most. 9 innings, 96 pitches. A throwback performance in a season that was all about the future.
You can't tell the story of The Roar of '24 without Tarik Skubal screaming, sweating, and stomping his way to what looks like a sure AL Cy Young Award. We could pick so many iconic Skubal moments for this list, but I'm going with August 31- the night he struck out his 200th batter of the season, went a career-high 8 innings, and turned a packed Comerica Park into a tent revival.
ESPN was blatantly rooting for the Yankees. So were all those Little Leaguers. But AJ Hinch essentially deployed his roster like a Little League manager for the last two months of the season, so it's only fitting that the Tigers stole this game, kicking off the most inspired stretch of Tigers baseball since 1984.
5 runs down in the ninth? No problem for Colt Keith and his band of baseball believers. A stunning victory over the eventual World Champions–and an early signal of just how resilient this Tigers team would prove to be.
3 runs down. Two outs in the ninth. Bases loaded. Full count. Padres closer Robert Suarez throws 100 up and away – a perfect pitch.
Parker Meadows takes it deep to left field.
If it had been in the bottom of the ninth instead of the top, it would have truly been an Ultimate Grand Slam. As it was, Meadows had to settle for the most epic hit of the regular season–and the fastest pitch ever hit for a home run by a Tiger in the Statcast era.
Jace Jung isn't known as the fastest or most graceful athlete on the Tigers. But in this critical September game against the division rival Royals, he sprawled, pirouetted, and tumbled his way across home plate to fire up the Tigers and clinch a huge win.
2nd and 3rd, nobody out. Tie game in the ninth after a blown lead. A must-win game for the Tigers against the wlid-card-leading Orioles. A little bloop behind third base seems sure to end it. But somebody forgot to tell that to Trey Sweeney. Sweeney makes the impossible catch, somehow avoids killing Riley Greene, and gets the ball in to save the game and the season. Not bad for a rookie who was called up in August.
If you weren't familiar with Kerry Carpenter's game, well … time to brush up. The biggest Tigers home run since Magglio in 2006 wins ALDS Game 2.
- Andy Ibanez ends the Astros dynasty
A nail-biting AL Wild Card series in Houston is settled by one last late-inning Tigers rally – and one last pinch-hit knockout blow from lefty-killer and all-around good dude Andy Ibanez. He'll never buy a drink in Detroit again.
It wasn't easy, it wasn't pretty, but as Wenceel Perez stumbled into the final catch, the Tigers swaggered into the most unlikely postseason berth in franchise history. Let's hope it's the first of many more to come with this young and entertaining crew.
This list could easily have been 50 items long, so I'm sure I missed some of your favorite moments – tell me about them in the comments!
4 comments
Baez’s walk off vs Munoz was one of my favorites. That had to feel really good for him. Ended up being huge, too; M’s only finished one game behind us
This is awesome. Thank you for putting it together. Not sure when it was exactly, but I remember a wild back and forth game with the Blue Jays also.
Ummmm are we forgetting Verling’s walk off against the Blue Jays? The final score was 14-13, I think. One of the most exciting games ever.
Side note Parks homer was amazing. Only one other player has ever won a game down three on the road with a go ahead grandy in the ninth. The other man to do it, Ted Fucking Williams.
Man it’s good to be a Tigers fan right now.
I was fortunate to watch every one of these moments except for the LA game. Still meaning to go back and watch that game