<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4InNX5_0vqXMoxz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4InNX5_0vqXMoxz00" width="980" height="653" ><figcaption>Johnny Marks</figcaption></figure><p>Major League Baseball, like most pro sports, has some wild twists and turns, doesn't it? The Detroit Tigers were at the bottom of the American League Central in 2020. In 2021, under new head coach Andrew Jay (A.J.) Hinch, they finished third. Last year, they finished in a distant second and missed the playoffs.</p><p>In 2024, they're in the postseason. Sure, the players have a ton to do with it. The ownership has invested in great talent. But don't underestimate a good head coach...</p><p>A.J. Hinch, a Waverly, Iowa native, has been in the news a lot in the past decade. It hasn't always been good, but he has been, and he continues to prove it.</p><h2>The Tigers and A.J. Hinch are in the Postseason</h2><p>Let's back up a bit. If you're not a baseball fan, you likely don't remember the Houston Astros scandal. In 2017, the 'Stros won the World Series but were accused, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Astros_sign_stealing_scandal">and found guilty</a> as a team, of sign stealing. That's a form of cheating.</p><p>As a result of the investigation and subsequent evidence, A. J. Hinch was given a massive one-year suspension from baseball. He was <a href="https://koel.com/waverly-native-aj-hinch-fired-by-astros-after-mlb-suspension/">fired from the Astros</a> and forced to sit out the 2020 season.</p><p>It should be made clear that while Hinch did not participate in the sign stealing, he also did nothing to stop it.</p><p>Fast forward past the ugliness of the suspension and the whole scandal, and the Iowa native is back in the postseason. And, with a team he once played for during his days as a player: the Detroit Tigers.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0r9dFU_0vqXMoxz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0r9dFU_0vqXMoxz00" width="1024" height="703" ><figcaption>Getty Images</figcaption></figure><p>During the 2024 regular season, the Tigers finished third in the AL Central with an 86-76 record. While that doesn't jump off the page, between the collapse of the Minnesota Twins, and a very strong last few weeks of the season, the Tigers defied the odds and proved they belong.</p><p>As a Twins fan... I have to say, writing that last past makes me both mad and sad, but it makes me happy to see an Iowa native, who's been through a lot, get back on his horse and prove he belongs!</p><h2>The Postseason Has Begun</h2><p>The Tigers battle A.J.s former team the Houston Astros starting today (October 1) in a best-of-three series. Houston has home field advantage.</p><p>Done with sitting in front of the TV? Check out the stunning Maquoketa Caves!</p><h2>15 Awesome Eastern Iowa Restaurants I Ate at This Summer</h2><p>Here are some of the delicious meals that I had between June and September of 2024:</p></div></body>

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From Waverly to the Big Leagues: Iowa Native Guides Team to MLB Playoffs

Major League Baseball, like most pro sports, has some wild twists and turns, doesn't it? The Detroit Tigers were at the bottom of the American League Central in 2020. In 2021, under new head coach Andrew Jay (A.J.) Hinch, they finished third. Last year, they finished in a distant second and missed the playoffs.