AL Champs!

How "sweep" it is. The Tigers will get to display a new championship banner in Comerica Park next season, whether they win the World Series or not. Yesterday, in dramatic fashion, the Tigers re-wrote the history books and defeated the Oakland A's 6-3 and swept the ALCS 4-0, becoming the American League Champions. Game four was not typical of the previous three because Oakland was the team to score first. Oakland's pitcher, Dan Haren, pitched a heck of a game, getting the Tigers to strike out or ground out frequently. Meanwhile, Jeremy Bonderman did not have the best stuff, especially during the first inning. He left balls over the plate and did not have great command of his pitches. Two runs would score on Detroit in the first and with Haren pitching great, it looked as if the Tigers might be in for a long game.

After the first inning, Bonderman settled down and pitched quite good. He did give up a home run to Jay Payton in the fourth inning; but that turned out to be the final blemish for Jeremy. In total, Bonderman pitched six and one-thirds inning, was charged with eight hits, three earned runs, and three strikeouts. The Tigers bats finally came alive, and Haren became vulnerable. The Tigers would score two runs in the fifth and Haren would give up the tying run in the sixth off a home run from Magglio Ordonez. That home run would knock Haren out of the game.

As the game progressed, it definitely appeared as if this one would go right down to the wire. The bullpen for both teams pitched spectacularly. The Tigers would end up leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the seven after Carlos Guillen hit into a double play. The A's would do the same in the top of the eighth, after Tigers' pitcher Jason Grilli walked three Oakland batters on 12 pitches with two outs. Wilfredo Ledezma came into the game and got the final out with a pop-up to Pudge Rodriguez. From that point on, neither team would score until the bottom of the ninth.

For some reason, I had a feeling that the Tigers final game of the ALCS would be something magical. And with the team up three games to none against Oakland in the series, why waste an opportunity to sweep and give some momentum back to the opponent. The Tigers were known throughout the regular season for some of their amazing comebacks. Game four of the ALCS would not disappoint. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Craig Monroe hit a single. Then Placido Polanco, the Tigers ALCS MVP, also hits a single. Then up to bat, Magglio Ordonez. For most of the ALCS, the Tigers did not see many hits from Magglio until game four when he nailed a homerun over the left field wall earlier in the game. Magglio became the hero of game four. With a 1-0 against Oakland's closing pitcher, Huston Street, Ordonez smacks the ball into the left field seats. There was absolutely no doubt about it being a home run. As soon as it left his bat, everyone in the ball park and everyone watching at home knew it was out. The Tigers would win the game with a walk-off homer. There's nothing more dramatic when it comes to winning a baseball game than to do it with a walk-off home run. It will become a moment that every Tigers fan will remember for a very long time.

I was pretty close to my prediction regarding game four, although I did not think Magglio would be the one to break out of his slump. Pudge Rodriguez didn't do a whole lot for the Tigers during the ALCS, which is certainly disappointing for the team leader. Carlos Guillen struggled during the series but helped the team in game four by getting on base a couple of times (base on balls and a single). The A's were the team to come out of the gates first, scoring in the first and fourth innings. But the Tigers were never out of it.

Now it's on to the World Series; the Tigers' first since 1984. Game one begins Saturday, October 21 at 8:00 PM in Comerica Park. We do not yet know who our opponent will be, as the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets are still at it, with the series tied at two games a piece. The NLCS could very well end up going seven games. It'll be interesting to see if either NL team the Tigers face will be tired coming into the World Series, with the Tigers well-rested. Time will tell, and further blog postings will appear regarding the World Series during the next week as the Tigers try to win their first championship in 22 years.