There are so many things to talk about and so many places to start. But really, when you think about it, where do we start ... and what is there to say?
That the Detroit Tigers won again?
Yes, they did, 4-3, over the Tampa Bay Rays .
That they came from behind with two runs in the sixth and two more in the eighth? A three-inning push that began with a two-out, two-strike walk and eventually ended with a sacrifice fly against one of the nastiest relievers in baseball?
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Yeah, the Tigers just pulled that off and are two wins from the postseason with three games to play. A Minnesota loss on Thursday night would cut the magic number to one, but then, that’s getting ahead of the story.
For the story began in early August, and still, no one can adequately explain it, because sometimes some things just can’t be explained.
“This is an unbelievable experience,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “and we don’t want to stop, and it doesn’t have to stop.”
The Tigers skipper was smiling Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park, and if you looked closely enough, you could see a bit of disbelief in his smile. And why not?
Hinch has been around the game for more than 30 years. He has managed dominant teams and won a World Series, but he has never been a part of something quite like this.
Is there magic involved, someone asked?
“I don’t know,” he said, grinning, “but if so, bottle it up and keep bringing it to the ballpark. We believe ... (and) there’s a renewed energy every single day because of what’s going on and because of what we think we can accomplish. Whether that’s magic , whether that’s momentum , whether that’s mojo , whether that’s vibe ... we love it and we want more of it.”’
Clearly, something is happening here in a way that feels historic. Maybe not to baseball, but certainly to Detroit. Think of another team in this city that has come from so far behind so late in the season to the brink of something ... well, magical .
The Lions of two years ago? When they began 1-6, forced their owner to meet with reporters to give a “there, there” speech and reiterate her belief in the new coach and general manager, and then ripped off eight of the next 10 games?
That’s close, but those Lions narrowly missed the playoffs, because it’s hard to come from so far down. And no team in the last generation of Detroit sports has quite done what the Tigers have a chance to do.
The Tigers are now 30-11 over their past 41 games. That may not be an all-time streak in baseball — heck, the same franchise once famously began the season 35-5 — but this stretch of winning followed several months of losing.
It’s the context that’s so notable. The 35-5 Tigers were good from the start and kept winning until the final game of the season. These Tigers were eight games under .500 entering Aug. 11.
Eight.
On Aug. 10 — 118 games into the season.
And while the players might tell you they never gave up — and obviously, they didn’t — not one of them saw this coming. Do you blame them? How can you see history before it’s made?
Only one team in MLB history has made the postseason after falling eight games below .500 at least 115 games into the season, according to MLB.com: The 1973 New York Mets.
So, fine, the Tigers wouldn’t be the first. But considering MLB is 121 years old, I’d say the Tigers are two wins from history. Not just any old history, though. The kind that grabs a region by its heart and tugs.
Another comeback win? Another one-run win?
The Tigers have played 55 one-run games this season, the most in the majors, the most for the franchise since 1976. They’ve won 31 of those games. More incredibly, they’ve won 13 of their past 15 such games.
Yeah, something is happening.
No wonder Matt Vierling howled as he touched home plate in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday to give the Tigers their first lead of the day. He'd sprinted from third base on a sacrifice fly from by Justyn-Henry Malloy, who’d pinch-hit for Kerry Carpenter, who’d pinch-hit for Spencer Torkelson in the sixth inning and singled in Colt Keith, who’d tripled earlier in the inning to drive home, you guessed it, Vierling.
The same Vierling who stepped to the plate in the sixth with two outs and nobody on, and who drew a walk after falling behind reliever Hunter Bigge. As Hinch later noted, none of his guys try to be the hero. They just want to get on base, or move the runner, or find the green for a single.
That walk started the comeback. His slide into home finished it. After touching the plate, he screamed, hopped to his feet, pumped his fist, and screamed some more. Malloy met him back near home plate.
“I kind of blacked out,” he said.
When he came to, Vierling was “like, in my face. And I was like, ‘Yeah! That’s awesome. Let's go and keep going!’ It was a really cool moment.”
Hinch had told Malloy to be ready before the game. That Tampa had four lefties to throw out there, including starter Tyler Alexander — yes, that Tyler Alexander, who used to pitch here in Detroit. And that at some point he would need Malloy to pinch hit.
He wasn’t sure when. But he knew it was coming.
“It's just this game of chess on a baseball field,” Malloy said of Hinch’s maneuvering, “and it’s awesome. It's really cool to be a part of, to sit back and watch, and when you get your opportunity to go in there. ...”
Well, you get the idea. Stay ready. Be ready. If there is an explanation of this cosmic stretch of baseball, perhaps this is it.
As Malloy said:
“We all want those big spots. No one is afraid of them. Pitchers want the ball. Hitters want to be in the box. I think it’s just a fight at the bat rack.”
And none of them mind, not really. Yes, they want to play. Who wouldn’t? But they accept that there is something unexplainable going on, and they want to be a part of it however, and whenever, they can.
So, Malloy waits his turn. And Carpenter waits his turn. And Casey Mize happily takes the ball in the fifth inning after Reese Olson got the start. And Torkelson cheers from the dugout after he was pulled for Carpenter, who then cheers everyone after he’s pulled for Malloy.
On it goes.
The moves of a maestro. The sound of a symphony, where everyone knows how to play nearly every instrument, and no one quibbles over the position of the chair.
“It’s just a normal part of our game,” Carpenter said. “We know that if we pass the baton to the next guy, (the next guy) has an amazing chance to get the job done.”
Magic?
What else could it be?
Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com . Follow him @shawnwindsor .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Improbable Detroit Tigers on verge of history. We are running out of words.
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