2006 Detroit Tigers season

Last updated

2006  Detroit Tigers
American League Champions
American League Wild Card Winners
League American League
Division Central
Ballpark Comerica Park
City Detroit, Michigan
Record95–67 (.586)
Divisional place2nd
Owners Mike Ilitch
General managers Dave Dombrowski
Managers Jim Leyland
Television FSN Detroit
WDWB
(Mario Impemba, Rod Allen)
Radio The Detroit Tigers Radio Network
(Jim Price, Dan Dickerson)
←  2005 Seasons 2007  →

The 2006 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 106th season. They won the ALCS. They represented the American League in the World Series before falling to the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 1. The season was their 106th since they entered the AL in 1901. It was their seventh season since opening Comerica Park in 2000, and the first since 1993 where the team finished with a winning record and made the playoffs for the first time since 1987.

Contents

Regular season

The Detroit Tigers were baseball's surprise success story of 2006. [1] After years of futility, including 12 consecutive losing seasons and an AL-record 119 losses in 2003, the season had the Tigers surging to the top of the major league standings in May, a position they did not relinquish until the final day of the season. [2] The play of veterans like Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones, the emergence of previously unestablished players Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge, Craig Monroe and Marcus Thames, and significant production from erstwhile All-Stars Iván Rodríguez, Magglio Ordóñez and Carlos Guillén all contributed to the team's success.

A great deal of credit was also given to manager Jim Leyland. On April 17, after an uninspiring 10–2 loss at home to the Cleveland Indians dropped the team's record to 7–6, the manager launched into a tirade against the team about its lack of effort, telling the media, "We stunk. They [the players] were already on the plane to Oakland." It appeared to light a fire under the players, spurring them on to a stretch in which they won 28 of 35 games. [3] Leyland consistently emphasized the importance of playing with intensity throughout all nine innings, a philosophy embraced not only in the players' words but also demonstrated by the team's knack for late-inning clutch hits, rallies, and comebacks. [4]

Statistically, the biggest factor in the team's success was its pitching, which led the major leagues in ERA and shutouts. [5] Rookie Justin Verlander won the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and fellow starters Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson, as well as rookie reliever Joel Zumaya, all had noteworthy seasons. There was concern when starter Mike Maroth—who had lost 20 games in 2003, but had since rebounded—had to undergo surgery early in the season, but his replacement Zach Miner proved to be adequate.

The Tigers' newfound success attracted a new generation of fans, many of whom who had never seen winning baseball in Detroit. [6] Detroit hit 16 home runs in their first four games, the most ever by any team in their first four games of the season. Tigers fans traveled to road games in large numbers, most notably at the interleague series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field from June 16–18. The crowd could be heard chanting "Let's Go Tigers!" throughout all three games, all of which were Detroit victories. [7]

The major doubt many fans and pundits had was whether the Tigers could compete against other top-tier American League teams. Early in the season, the team lost series to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and lost five of six games to the reigning World Series champion (and AL Central rival) Chicago White Sox. [8] However, on July 20, at a game which featured a particularly stirring rendition of the national anthem by local opera singer Eugene Zweig, [9] and a standing-room-only crowd that included actor Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard, [10] the Tigers beat White Sox pitching ace José Contreras to take the series two games to one from the White Sox, the team's first series victory against an upper-echelon AL team in 2006. In their next two series, against the AL West division-leading Oakland Athletics, and the red-hot Minnesota Twins, who were 34–8 over their previous 42 games, the Tigers also won two out of three.

On July 31, Tigers management traded minor-league pitcher Brian Rogers to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for left-handed hitting and three-time All Star first baseman Sean Casey. [11] The move added a left-handed bat to the lineup, especially necessary after Dmitri Young was released in September.

By August 7, the Tigers were an astonishing 40 games above .500 (76–36) and cruising. They would lose their next five games, sixteen of their next 22, and the last six weeks of the season were punctuated by a nosedive, as a suddenly silent offense led to a 19–31 record in the last 50 games of the season. Perhaps the biggest loss the team suffered was not a singular game, but one of their best all-around players, Plácido Polanco, who separated his shoulder making a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch in Fenway Park against the Red Sox on August 15. [12]

Only the big cushion built in the summer saved the Tigers from what would have been baseball's most statistically infamous collapse, as they clinched a playoff berth on September 24 with an 11–4 win over the Kansas City Royals. But even that cushion couldn't save a division title. On October 1, despite a rare relief appearance from Kenny Rogers, the Tigers fell out of the top spot in the American League Central with a 10–8 extra-inning loss to the 100-loss Royals in their last regular season game.

Detroit lost their last five regular season games, all at home, against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Royals. The final loss gave the Twins the AL Central title, and made the Tigers the American League wild card entrant in the postseason. Their opening-round opponent would be the New York Yankees.

The Tigers ended the regular season with a 95–67 record, marking the team's first winning season since 1993 and their most wins since 1987. They were the only team outside the American League East to win the AL Wild Card between 2003 and 2011.

Highlights

There were many memorable moments during the regular season. Some of the highlights:

Season standings

AL Central 		W L Pct. GB Home Road
Minnesota Twins 96660.593—54–2742–39
Detroit Tigers 95670.586146–3549–32
Chicago White Sox 90720.556649–3241–40
Cleveland Indians 78840.4811844–3734–47
Kansas City Royals 621000.3833434–4728–53

Record vs. opponents

2006 American League record

Sources:
TeamBALBOSCWSCLEDETKCLAAMINNYYOAKSEATBTEXTORNL 
Baltimore —3–152–54–23–35–14–63–67–122–44–613–63–68–119–9
Boston 15–3—4–23–43–34–53–31–58–113–74–610–95–47–1216–2
Chicago 5–22–4—8–1112–711–86–39–102–43–35–43–35–55–414–4
Cleveland 2–44–311–8—6–1310–84–58–113–43–64–56–15–44–28–10
Detroit 3–33–37–1213–6—14–43–511–82–55–46–35–35–53–315–3
Kansas City 1–55–48–118–104–14—3–77–122–74–53–51–53–33–410–8
Los Angeles 6–43–33–65–45–37–3—4–26–411–810–97–211–84–67–11
Minnesota 6–35–110–911–88–1112–72–4—3–36–45–36–14–52–516–2
New York 12–711–84–24–35–27–24–63–3—3–63–313–58–210–810–8
Oakland 4–27–33–36–34–55–48–114–66–3—17–26–39–106–48–10
Seattle 6–46–44–55–43–65–39–103–53–32–17—6–38–114–514–4
Tampa Bay 6–139–103–31–63–55–12–71–65–133–63–6—3–66–1211–7
Texas 6–34–55–54–55–53–38–115–42–810–911–86–3—4–27–11
Toronto 11–812–74–52–43–34–36–45–28–104–65–412–62–4—9–9

Roster

2006 Detroit Tigers
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Game log

2006 Game Log
April
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1April 3@ Royals 3–1 Rogers (1–0) Elarton (0–1) Rodney (1)41,0541–0
2April 5@ Royals 14–3Bonderman (1–0)Mays (0–1)11,2652–0
3April 6@ Texas10–6Robertson (1–0)Dickey (0–1)21,7133–0
4April 7@ Texas5–2Maroth (1–0)Koronka (0–1)Rodney (2)21,1554–0
5April 8@ Texas7–0Verlander (1–0)Millwood (0–2)35,0665–0
6Sun. 9@ Texas5–3Padilla (2–0)Rogers (1–1)Cordero (1)31,0325–1
7Mon. 10Chicago Sox5–3Garcia (1–1)Bonderman (1–1)Jenks (2)44,1795–2
8Wed. 12Chicago Sox4–3Contreras (1–0)Robertson (1–1)Jenks (3)12,6015–3
9Thu. 13Chicago Sox13–9Garland (1–1)Verlander (1–1)14,0275–4
10Fri. 14Cleveland5–1Rogers (2–1)Westbrook (2–1)27,3586–4
11Sat. 15Cleveland7–2Carmona (1–0)Bonderman (1–2)30,1076–5
12Sun. 16Cleveland1–0Maroth (2–0)Lee (1–1)Rodney (3)14,3037–5
13Mon. 17Cleveland10–2Byrd (2–1)Robertson (1–2)19,1267–6
14Tue. 18@ Oakland4–3Duchscherer (1–0)Verlander (1–2)Street (4)16,8577–7
15Wed. 19@ Oakland11–4Rogers (3–1)Blanton (1–2)18,3098–7
16Thu. 20@ Oakland4–3Rodney (1–0)Duchscherer (1–1)15,4899–7
17Fri. 21@ Seattle2–1Maroth (3–0)Washburn (1–3)Jones (1)35,23710–7
18Sat. 22@ Seattle2–0Robertson (2–2)Meche (1–1)Rodney (4)27,89311–7
19Sun. 23@ Seattle6–4Verlander (2–2)Hernandez (0–3)Jones (2)28,65912–7
20Mon. 24@ LA Angels3–0Santana (2–0)Rogers (3–2)Rodriguez (8)39,77612–8
21Tue. 25@ LA Angels5–2Bonderman (2–2)Carrasco (0–1)Jones (3)40,00713–8
22Wed. 26@ LA Angels4–0Lackey (3–1)Maroth (3–1)37,53213–9
23Fri. 28Minnesota9–0Robertson (3–2)Radke (2–3)23,26314–9
24Sat. 29Minnesota18–1Verlander (3–2)Silva (1–4)24,25815–9
25Sun. 30Minnesota6–0Rogers (4–2)Lohse (1–2)24,32316–9
May
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
26Mon. 1Kansas City3–2Bonderman (3–2)Hernandez (1–1)Jones (4)9,59717–9
27Tue. 2Kansas City4–1Maroth (4–1)Redman (0–2)Jones (5)12,41518–9
28Wed. 3LA Angels2–1Zumaya (1–0)Weaver (1–4)Rodney (5)17,17119–9
29Thu. 4LA Angels7–2Gregg (2–0)Verlander (3–3)24,87919–10
30Fri. 5at Minnesota9–6Rogers (5–2)Lohse (1–3)Jones (6)23,89220–10
31Sat. 6at Minnesota7–6Rincon (2–0)Jones (0–1)20,90720–11
32Sun. 7at Minnesota4–2Santana (3–3)Maroth (4–2)Nathan (4)20,54820–12
33Tue. 9at Baltimore7–6Hawkins (1–1)Rodney (1–1)Ray (8)16,56620–13
34Wed. 10at Baltimore6–3Verlander (4–3)Lopez (1–5)Jones (7)15,54821–13
35Fri. 12at Cleveland5–4Rogers (6–2)Lee (2–4)Jones (8)23,58822–13
36Sat. 13at Cleveland3–0Bonderman (4–2)Sabathia (2–1)Jones (9)24,05123–13
37Sun. 14at Cleveland3–2Maroth (5–2)Johnson (2–3)Rodney (6)21,87524–13
38Tue. 16Minnesota7–4Robertson (4–2)Lohse (2–4)Jones (10)18,11525–13
39Wed. 17Minnesota2–0Verlander (5–3)Santana (4–4)Jones (11)16,66926–13
40Thu. 18Minnesota5–3Rogers (7–2)Radke (4–5)Jones (12)26,73227–13
41Fri. 19Cincinnati9–4Claussen (3–4)Bonderman (4–3)26,93327–14
42Sat. 20Cincinnati7–6Rodney (2–1)Weathers (1–2)43,12828–14
43Sun. 21Cincinnati1–0Rodney (3–1)Harang (5–3)Jones (13)31,51529–14
44Mon. 22at Kansas City8–0Verlander (6–3)Affeldt (2–4)9,74630–14
45Tue. 23at Kansas City8–5Zumaya (2–0)Dessens (2–4)Jones (14)15,55631–14
46Wed. 24at Kansas City6–3Bonderman (5–3)Gobble (0–1)Jones (15)10,74532–14
47Thu. 25at Kansas City13–8Zumaya (3–0)Dessens (2–5)11,48833–14
48Fri. 26Cleveland8–3Robertson (5–2)Westbrook (4–3)31,24134–14
49Sat. 27Cleveland3–1Verlander (7–3)Byrd (4–4)Jones (16)37,10235–14
50Sun. 28Cleveland9–0Johnson (3–4)Rogers (7–3)37,90835–15
51Mon. 29NY Yankees4–0Johnson (7–4)Bonderman (5–4)39,75935–16
52Tue. 30NY Yankees11–6Rivera (3–3)Jones (0–2)24,76535–17
53Wed. 31NY Yankees6–1Mussina (7–1)Robertson (5–3)23,75735–18
June
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
54Thu. 1NY Yankees7–6Rodney (4–1)Farnsworth (1–3)27,23136–18
55Fri. 2Boston3–2Seanez (1–0)Jones (0–3)Papelbon (20)35,53136–19
56Sat. 3Boston6–2Bonderman (6–4)Wakefield (4–7)Rodney (7)40,87237–19
57Sun. 4Boston8–3Clement (5–4)Miner (0–1)35,76437–20
58Tue. 6at Chicago Sox4–3McCarthy (3–3)Rodney (4–2)Jenks (16)37,19237–21
59Wed. 7at Chicago Sox4–3Contreras (6–0)Verlander (7–4)Jenks (17)37,61237–22
60Thu. 8at Chicago Sox6–2Rogers (8–3)Garland (4–3)37,35438–22
61Fri. 9at Toronto10–5Frasor (2–1)Jones (0–4)21,42538–23
62Sat. 10at Toronto5–3Miner (1–1)Lilly (5–7)Jones (17)27,02139–23
63Sun. 11at Toronto10–5Robertson (6–3)Taubenheim (0–3)Zumaya (1)30,40440–23
64Mon. 12Tampa Bay4–3Jones (1–4)Meadows (1–1)16,30241–23
65Tue. 13Tampa Bay7–1Rogers (9–3)McClung (2–9)20,93542–23
66Wed. 14Tampa Bay5–1Meadows (2–1)Jones (1–5)25,26542–24
67Thu. 15Tampa Bay6–2Miner (2–1)Fossum (2–3)28,26943–24
68Fri. 16at Chicago Cubs5–3Robertson (7–3)Rusch (2–7)Jones (18)40,68344–24
69Sat. 17at Chicago Cubs9–3Verlander (8–4)Marmol (1–1)41,45945–24
70Sun. 18at Chicago Cubs12–3Rogers (10–3)Prior (0–1)39,93846–24
71Mon. 19at Milwaukee3–1Bonderman (7–4)Wise (4–4)Jones (19)29,62347–24
72Tue. 20at Milwaukee10–1Miner (3–1)Helling (0–1)33,11948–24
73Wed. 21at Milwaukee4–3Capuano (8–4)Zumaya (3–1)Turnbow (21)31,22248–25
74Fri. 23St. Louis10–6Verlander (9–4)Carpenter (6–4)42,23849–25
75Sat. 24St. Louis7–6Zumaya (4–1)Johnson (0–1)42,53550–25
76Sun. 25St. Louis4–1Ledezma (1–0)Ponson (4–3)Jones (20)40,64451–25
77Mon. 26Houston10–4Miner (4–1)Rodriguez (8–5)24,28552–25
78Tue. 27Houston4–0Robertson (8–3)Clemens (0–2)39,85253–25
79Wed. 28Houston5–0Verlander (10–4)Pettitte (6–9)29,24954–25
80Fri. 30at Pittsburgh7–6Colon (1–0)Wells (0–3)Jones (21)27,31855–25
July
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
81Sat. 1at Pittsburgh9–2Capps (3–1)Grilli (0–1)37,11155–26
82Sun. 2at Pittsburgh9–8Miner (5–1)Snell (7–6)Jones (22)28,13656–26
83Mon. 3at Oakland5–3Blanton (8–7)Robertson (8–4)Street (19)35,07756–27
84Tue. 4at Oakland2–1Gaudin (1–2)Rodney (4–3)21,09656–28
85Wed. 5at Oakland10–4Rogers (11–3)Saarloos (3–5)Colon (1)22,21057–28
86Fri. 7at Seattle6–1Bonderman (8–4)Pineiro (6–8)31,72758–28
87Sat. 8at Seattle2–1Miner (6–1)Washburn (4–9)Jones (23)32,40459–28
88Sun. 9at Seattle3–2Meche (8–4)Robertson (8–5)Putz (16)37,36459–29
89Thu. 13Kansas City6–4Bonderman (9–4)Duckworth (1–2)Jones (24)31,96760–29
90Fri. 14Kansas City10–9Jones (2–5)Affeldt (4–6)38,44261–29
91Sat. 15Kansas City6–0Verlander (11–4)Gobble (3–3)40,21062–29
92Sun. 16Kansas City9–6Elarton (4–9)Miner (6–2)MacDougal (1)37,89362–30
93Tue. 18Chicago Sox7–1Garland (9–3)Robertson (8–6)39,15362–31
94Wed. 19Chicago Sox5–2Bonderman (10–4)Vazquez (9–5)39,59363–31
95Thu. 20Chicago Sox2–1Zumaya (5–1)Contreras (9–2)Jones (25)41,07564–31
96Fri. 21Oakland7–4Verlander (12–4)Haren (6–9)40,68765–31
97Sat. 22Oakland9–5Blanton (10–8)Ledezma (1–1)38,92365–32
98Sun. 23Oakland8–4Robertson (9–6)Loaiza (4–6)40,35566–32
99Mon. 24at Cleveland9–7Bonderman (11–4)Lee (9–8)Jones (26)19,04567–32
100Tue. 25at Cleveland12–7Davis (3–1)Rogers (11–4)28,08567–33
101Wed. 26at Cleveland4–1Verlander (13–4)Sabathia (7–7)Jones (27)31,22068–33
102Fri. 28at Minnesota3–2Rodney (5–3)Rincon (3–1)Jones (28)45,47869–33
103Sat. 29at Minnesota8–6Robertson (10–6)Radke (9–8)Jones (29)45,49670–33
104Sun. 30at Minnesota6–4Neshek (1–0)Bonderman (11–5)Nathan (22)43,20470–34
105Mon. 31at Tampa Bay7–3Fossum (5–4)Rogers (11–5)15,06570–35
August
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
106Tue. 1at Tampa Bay10–4Verlander (14–4)Howell (0–1)13,80871–35
107Wed. 2at Tampa Bay8–3Grilli (1–1)Switzer (2–2)13,12672–35
108Thu. 3at Tampa Bay2–1McClung (3–10)Robertson (10–7)Meadows (7)12,66572–36
109Fri. 4Cleveland7–6Colon (2–0)Cabrera (1–2)Jones (30)41,50273–36
110Sat. 5Cleveland4–3Zumaya (6–1)Carmona (1–7)43,01574–36
111Sun. 6Cleveland1–0Ledezma (2–1)Sabathia (8–8)Jones (31)39,17875–36
112Mon. 7Minnesota9–3Miner (7–2)Liriano (12–3)34,87076–36
113Tue. 8Minnesota4–2Radke (11–8)Robertson (10–8)Nathan (24)35,62476–37
114Wed. 9Minnesota4–3Santana (13–5)Zumaya (6–2)Nathan (25)36,33976–38
115Fri. 11at Chicago Sox5–0Contreras (11–4)Verlander (14–5)39,37876–39
116Sat. 12at Chicago Sox4–3MacDougal (1–0)Rogers (11–6)Jenks (32)38,87376–40
117Sun. 13at Chicago Sox7–3Garcia (11–7)Miner (7–3)Jenks (33)38,93176–41
118Mon. 14at Boston7–4Robertson (11–8)Beckett (13–7)Jones (32)36,39277–41
119Tue. 15at Boston3–2Rodney (6–3)Timlin (5–2)Jones (33)36,17978–41
120Wed. 16at Boston6–4Wells (2–2)Verlander (14–6)Papelbon (32)36,30478–42
121Thu. 17Texas4–2Rogers (12–6)Volquez (1–2)Jones (34)34,75679–42
122Fri. 18Texas2–1Millwood (12–8)Miner (7–4)Otsuka (24)39,32779–43
123Sat. 19Texas3–1Tejeda (2–3)Robertson (11–9)Otsuka (25)41,64379–44
124Sun. 20Texas7–6Benoit (1–1)Grilli (1–2)Otsuka (26)39,07179–45
125Mon. 21Chicago Sox7–1Verlander (15–6)Contreras (11–6)39,27880–45
126Tue. 22Chicago Sox4–0Rogers (13–6)Buehrle (10–11)39,36181–45
127Wed. 23Chicago Sox7–5Garcia (12–8)Miner (7–5)Jenks (36)40,18781–46
128Thu. 24Chicago Sox10–0Garland (15–4)Robertson (11–10)41,56581–47
129Fri. 25at Cleveland4–2Sowers (6–3)Bonderman (11–6)Betancourt (1)33,41681–48
130Sat. 26at Cleveland8–5Westbrook (11–8)Verlander (15–7)Mastny (3)29,13881–49
131Sun. 27at Cleveland7–1Rogers (14–6)Lee (10–10)28,34282–49
132Wed. 30at NY Yankees2–0Wang (16–5)Robertson (11–11)Rivera (32)52,58582–50
133Wed. 30at NY Yankees5–3Grilli (2–2)Proctor (5–4)Jones (35)54,50983–50
134Thu. 31at NY Yankees6–4Johnson (15–10)Bonderman (11–7)Rivera (33)54,77183–51
September
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
135Fri. 1LA Angels9–0Rogers (15–6)Santana (13–7)37,50984–51
136Sat. 2LA Angels7–2Rodriguez (2–2)Jones (2–6)37,82684–52
137Sun. 3LA Angels2–1Escobar (10–12)Ledezma (2–2)Rodriguez (38)38,68884–53
138Mon. 4Seattle6–2Robertson (12–11)Washburn (8–13)32,94885–53
139Tue. 5Seattle4–3Pineiro (8–11)Miller (0–1)Putz (30)23,58385–54
140Wed. 6Seattle5–4Huber (1–0)Zumaya (6–3)Putz (31)23,06685–55
141Thu. 7at Minnesota7–2Verlander (16–7)Baker (4–8)21,22986–55
142Fri. 8at Minnesota9–5Neshek (4–1)Ledezma (2–3)29,04286–56
143Sat. 9at Minnesota2–1Bonser (5–5)Robertson (12–12)Nathan (30)39,16086–57
144Sun. 10at Minnesota12–1Santana (18–5)Bonderman (11–8)40,15886–58
145Tue. 12Texas3–2Rodney (7–3)Mahay (1–3)24,19687–58
146Wed. 13Texas11–3Millwood (15–10)Verlander (16–8)24,67287–59
147Fri. 15Baltimore17–2Bonderman (12–8)Penn (0–3)38,26188–59
148Sat. 16Baltimore2–0Robertson (13–12)Benson (10–11)Jones (36)39,03089–59
149Sun. 17Baltimore12–8Ray (3–4)Grilli (2–3)37,46489–60
150Mon. 18at Chicago Sox8–2Rogers (16–6)Buehrle (12–13)39,42790–60
151Tue. 19at Chicago Sox7–0Garcia (15–9)Verlander (16–9)38,85090–61
152Wed. 20at Chicago Sox6–2Bonderman (13–8)Garland (17–6)38,97191–61
153Thu. 21at Baltimore4–3Benson (11–11)Rodney (7–4)Ray (33)17,87791–62
154Fri. 22at Kansas City7–3Ledezma (3–3)Hudson (7–6)13,15192–62
155Sat. 23at Kansas City15–4Rogers (17–6)Redman (10–10)15,45993–62
156Sun. 24at Kansas City11–4Verlander (17–9)Hernandez (6–10)10,92294–62
157Tue. 26Toronto4–3Bonderman (14–8)McGowan (1–2)Jones (37)27,90895–62
158Wed. 27Toronto7–4Lilly (15–13)Robertson (13–13)Ryan (36)26,43095–63
159Thu. 28Toronto8–6Burnett (10–8)Rogers (17–7)Ryan (37)28,67095–64
160Fri. 29Kansas City9–7Greinke (1–0)Walker (0–1)Peralta (1)37,24395–65
161Sat. 30Kansas City9–6Wellemeyer (1–2)Miner (7–6)Gobble (2)40,07195–66
October
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
162Sun. 1Kansas City10–8Gobble (4–6)Rogers (17–8)40,15595–67
Postseason
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
American League Division Series
1Oct. 3at New York8–4Wang (1–0)Robertson (0–1)56,2910–1
2Oct. 5at New York4–3Walker (1–0)Mussina (0–1)Jones (1)56,2521–1
3Oct. 6New York6–0Rogers (1–0)Johnson (0–1)43,4402–1
4Oct. 7New York8–3Bonderman (1–0)Wright (0–1)43,1263–1
American League Championship Series
1Oct. 10at Oakland5–1Robertson (1–1)Zito (1–1)35,6551–0
2Oct. 11at Oakland8–5Verlander (1–0)Loaiza (0–1)Jones (2)36,1682–0
3Oct. 13Oakland3–0Rogers (2–0)Harden (0–1)Jones (3)41,6693–0
4Oct. 14Oakland6–3Ledezma (1–0)Street (0–1)42,9674–0
World Series
1Oct. 21St. Louis7–2Reyes (1–0)Verlander (1–1)42,4790–1
2Oct. 22St. Louis3–1Rogers (3–0)Weaver (2–2)Jones (4)42,5331–1
3Oct. 24at St. Louis5–0Carpenter (3–1)Robertson (1–2)46,5131–2
4Oct. 26at St. Louis5–4Wainwright (1–0)Zumaya (0–1)46,4701–3
5Oct. 27at St. Louis4–2Weaver (3–2)Verlander (1–2)Wainwright (4)46,6381–4
2006 Game Log: 95–67 (Home: 46–35; Away: 49–32)
April: 16–9 (Home: 5–5; Away: 11–4)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordStreak
1April 3@ Royals 3–1 Rogers (1–0) Elarton (0–1) Rodney (1)41,0541–0W1
2April 5@ Royals 14–3Bonderman (1–0)Mays (0–1)11,2652–0W2
3April 6@ Rangers 10–6Robertson (1–0)Dickey (0–1)21,7133–0W3
4April 7@ Rangers 5–2Maroth (1–0)Koronka (0–1)Rodney (2)21,1554–0W4
5April 8@ Rangers 7–0Verlander (1–0)Millwood (0–2)35,0665–0W5
6April 9@ Rangers 5–3Padilla (2–0)Rogers (1–1)Cordero (1)31,0325–1L1
7April 10 White Sox 5–3Garcia (1–1)Bonderman (1–1)Jenks (2)44,1795–2L2
8April 12 White Sox 4–3Contreras (1–0)Robertson (1–1)Jenks (3)12,6015–3L3
9April 13 White Sox 13–9Garland (1–1)Verlander (1–1)14,0275–4L4
10April 14 Indians 5–1Rogers (2–1)Westbrook (2–1)27,3586–4W1
11April 15 Indians 7–2Carmona (1–0)Bonderman (1–2)30,1076–5L1
12April 16 Indians 1–0Maroth (2–0)Lee (1–1)Rodney (3)14,3037–5W1
13April 17 Indians 10–2Byrd (2–1)Robertson (1–2)19,1267–6L1
14April 18@ Athletics 4–3Duchscherer (1–0)Verlander (1–2)Street (4)16,8577–7L2
15April 19@ Athletics 11–4Rogers (3–1)Blanton (1–2)18,3098–7W1
16April 20@ Athletics 4–3Rodney (1–0)Duchscherer (1–1)15,4899–7W2
17April 21@ Mariners 2–1Maroth (3–0)Washburn (1–3)Jones (1)35,23710–7W3
18April 22@ Mariners 2–0Robertson (2–2)Meche (1–1)Rodney (4)27,89311–7W4
19April 23@ Mariners 6–4Verlander (2–2)Hernandez (0–3)Jones (2)28,65912–7W5
20April 24@ Angels 3–0Santana (2–0)Rogers (3–2)Rodriguez (8)39,77612–8L1
21April 25@ Angels 5–2Bonderman (2–2)Carrasco (0–1)Jones (3)40,00713–8W1
22April 26@ Angels 4–0Lackey (3–1)Maroth (3–1)37,53213–9L1
23April 28 Twins 9–0Robertson (3–2)Radke (2–3)23,26314–9W1
24April 29 Twins 18–1Verlander (3–2)Silva (1–4)24,25815–9W2
25April 30 Twins 6–0Rogers (4–2)Lohse (1–2)24,32316–9W3
May: 19–9 (Home: 10–6; Away: 9–3)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordStreak
26May 1Kansas City3–2Bonderman (3–2)Hernandez (1–1)Jones (4)9,59717–9W4
27May 2Kansas City4–1Maroth (4–1)Redman (0–2)Jones (5)12,41518–9W5
28May 3LA Angels2–1Zumaya (1–0)Weaver (1–4)Rodney (5)17,17119–9W6
29May 4LA Angels7–2Gregg (2–0)Verlander (3–3)24,87919–10L1
30May 5at Minnesota9–6Rogers (5–2)Lohse (1–3)Jones (6)23,89220–10W1
31May 6at Minnesota7–6Rincon (2–0)Jones (0–1)20,90720–11L1
32May 7at Minnesota4–2Santana (3–3)Maroth (4–2)Nathan (4)20,54820–12L2
33May 9at Baltimore7–6Hawkins (1–1)Rodney (1–1)Ray (8)16,56620–13L3
34May 10at Baltimore6–3Verlander (4–3)Lopez (1–5)Jones (7)15,54821–13W1
35May 12at Cleveland5–4Rogers (6–2)Lee (2–4)Jones (8)23,58822–13W2
36May 13at Cleveland3–0Bonderman (4–2)Sabathia (2–1)Jones (9)24,05123–13W3
37May 14at Cleveland3–2Maroth (5–2)Johnson (2–3)Rodney (6)21,87524–13W4
38May 16Minnesota7–4Robertson (4–2)Lohse (2–4)Jones (10)18,11525–13W5
39May 17Minnesota2–0Verlander (5–3)Santana (4–4)Jones (11)16,66926–13W6
40May 18Minnesota5–3Rogers (7–2)Radke (4–5)Jones (12)26,73227–13W7
41May 19Cincinnati9–4Claussen (3–4)Bonderman (4–3)26,93327–14L1
42May 20Cincinnati7–6Rodney (2–1)Weathers (1–2)43,12828–14W1
43May 21Cincinnati1–0Rodney (3–1)Harang (5–3)Jones (13)31,51529–14W2
44May 22at Kansas City8–0Verlander (6–3)Affeldt (2–4)9,74630–14W3
45May 23at Kansas City8–5Zumaya (2–0)Dessens (2–4)Jones (14)15,55631–14W4
46May 24at Kansas City6–3Bonderman (5–3)Gobble (0–1)Jones (15)10,74532–14W5
47May 25at Kansas City13–8Zumaya (3–0)Dessens (2–5)11,48833–14W6
48May 26Cleveland8–3Robertson (5–2)Westbrook (4–3)31,24134–14W7
49May 27Cleveland3–1Verlander (7–3)Byrd (4–4)Jones (16)37,10235–14W8
50May 28Cleveland9–0Johnson (3–4)Rogers (7–3)37,90835–15L1
51May 29NY Yankees4–0Johnson (7–4)Bonderman (5–4)39,75935–16L2
52May 30NY Yankees11–6Rivera (3–3)Jones (0–2)24,76535–17L3
53May 31NY Yankees6–1Mussina (7–1)Robertson (5–3)23,75735–18L4
June: 20–7 (Home: 11–3; Away: 9–4)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordStreak
54June 1NY Yankees7–6Rodney (4–1)Farnsworth (1–3)27,23136–18W1
55June 2Boston3–2Seanez (1–0)Jones (0–3)Papelbon (20)35,53136–19L1
56June 3Boston6–2Bonderman (6–4)Wakefield (4–7)Rodney (7)40,87237–19W1
57June 4Boston8–3Clement (5–4)Miner (0–1)35,76437–20L1
58June 6at Chicago Sox4–3McCarthy (3–3)Rodney (4–2)Jenks (16)37,19237–21L2
59June 7at Chicago Sox4–3Contreras (6–0)Verlander (7–4)Jenks (17)37,61237–22L3
60June 8at Chicago Sox6–2Rogers (8–3)Garland (4–3)37,35438–22W1
61June 9at Toronto10–5Frasor (2–1)Jones (0–4)21,42538–23L1
62June 10at Toronto5–3Miner (1–1)Lilly (5–7)Jones (17)27,02139–23W1
63June 11at Toronto10–5Robertson (6–3)Taubenheim (0–3)Zumaya (1)30,40440–23W2
64June 12Tampa Bay4–3Jones (1–4)Meadows (1–1)16,30241–23W3
65June 13Tampa Bay7–1Rogers (9–3)McClung (2–9)20,93542–23W4
66June 14Tampa Bay5–1Meadows (2–1)Jones (1–5)25,26542–24L1
67June 15Tampa Bay6–2Miner (2–1)Fossum (2–3)28,26943–24W1
68June 16at Chicago Cubs5–3Robertson (7–3)Rusch (2–7)Jones (18)40,68344–24W2
69June 17at Chicago Cubs9–3Verlander (8–4)Marmol (1–1)41,45945–24W3
70June 18at Chicago Cubs12–3Rogers (10–3)Prior (0–1)39,93846–24W4
71June 19at Milwaukee3–1Bonderman (7–4)Wise (4–4)Jones (19)29,62347–24W5
72June 20at Milwaukee10–1Miner (3–1)Helling (0–1)33,11948–24W6
73June 21at Milwaukee4–3Capuano (8–4)Zumaya (3–1)Turnbow (21)31,22248–25L1
74June 23St. Louis10–6Verlander (9–4)Carpenter (6–4)42,23849–25W1
75June 24St. Louis7–6Zumaya (4–1)Johnson (0–1)42,53550–25W2
76June 25St. Louis4–1Ledezma (1–0)Ponson (4–3)Jones (20)40,64451–25W3
77June 26Houston10–4Miner (4–1)Rodriguez (8–5)24,28552–25W4
78June 27Houston4–0Robertson (8–3)Clemens (0–2)39,85253–25W5
79June 28Houston5–0Verlander (10–4)Pettitte (6–9)29,24954–25W6
80June 30at Pittsburgh7–6Colon (1–0)Wells (0–3)Jones (21)27,31855–25W7
July: 15–10 (Home: 7–3; Away: 8–7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordStreak
81July 1at Pittsburgh9–2Capps (3–1)Grilli (0–1)37,11155–26L1
82July 2at Pittsburgh9–8Miner (5–1)Snell (7–6)Jones (22)28,13656–26W1
83July 3at Oakland5–3Blanton (8–7)Robertson (8–4)Street (19)35,07756–27L1
84July 4at Oakland2–1Gaudin (1–2)Rodney (4–3)21,09656–28L2
85July 5at Oakland10–4Rogers (11–3)Saarloos (3–5)Colon (1)22,21057–28W1
86July 7at Seattle6–1Bonderman (8–4)Pineiro (6–8)31,72758–28W2
87July 8at Seattle2–1Miner (6–1)Washburn (4–9)Jones (23)32,40459–28W3
88July 9at Seattle3–2Meche (8–4)Robertson (8–5)Putz (16)37,36459–29L1
89July 13Kansas City6–4Bonderman (9–4)Duckworth (1–2)Jones (24)31,96760–29W1
90July 14Kansas City10–9Jones (2–5)Affeldt (4–6)38,44261–29W2
91July 15Kansas City6–0Verlander (11–4)Gobble (3–3)40,21062–29W3
92July 16Kansas City9–6Elarton (4–9)Miner (6–2)MacDougal (1)37,89362–30L1
93July 18Chicago Sox7–1Garland (9–3)Robertson (8–6)39,15362–31L2
94July 19Chicago Sox5–2Bonderman (10–4)Vazquez (9–5)39,59363–31W1
95July 20Chicago Sox2–1Zumaya (5–1)Contreras (9–2)Jones (25)41,07564–31W2
96July 21Oakland7–4Verlander (12–4)Haren (6–9)40,68765–31W3
97July 22Oakland9–5Blanton (10–8)Ledezma (1–1)38,92365–32L1
98July 23Oakland8–4Robertson (9–6)Loaiza (4–6)40,35566–32W1
99July 24at Cleveland9–7Bonderman (11–4)Lee (9–8)Jones (26)19,04567–32W2
100July 25at Cleveland12–7Davis (3–1)Rogers (11–4)28,08567–33L1
101July 26at Cleveland4–1Verlander (13–4)Sabathia (7–7)Jones (27)31,22068–33W1
102July 28at Minnesota3–2Rodney (5–3)Rincon (3–1)Jones (28)45,47869–33W2
103July 29at Minnesota8–6Robertson (10–6)Radke (9–8)Jones (29)45,49670–33W3
104July 30at Minnesota6–4Neshek (1–0)Bonderman (11–5)Nathan (22)43,20470–34L1
105July 31at Tampa Bay7–3Fossum (5–4)Rogers (11–5)15,06570–35L2
August: 13–16 (Home: 7–7; Away: 6–9)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordStreak
106August 1at Tampa Bay10–4Verlander (14–4)Howell (0–1)13,80871–35W1
107August 2at Tampa Bay8–3Grilli (1–1)Switzer (2–2)13,12672–35W2
108August 3at Tampa Bay2–1McClung (3–10)Robertson (10–7)Meadows (7)12,66572–36L1
109August 4Cleveland7–6Colon (2–0)Cabrera (1–2)Jones (30)41,50273–36W1
110August 5Cleveland4–3Zumaya (6–1)Carmona (1–7)43,01574–36W2
111August 6Cleveland1–0Ledezma (2–1)Sabathia (8–8)Jones (31)39,17875–36W3
112August 7Minnesota9–3Miner (7–2)Liriano (12–3)34,87076–36W4
113August 8Minnesota4–2Radke (11–8)Robertson (10–8)Nathan (24)35,62476–37L1
114August 9Minnesota4–3Santana (13–5)Zumaya (6–2)Nathan (25)36,33976–38L2
115August 11at Chicago Sox5–0Contreras (11–4)Verlander (14–5)39,37876–39L3
116August 12at Chicago Sox4–3MacDougal (1–0)Rogers (11–6)Jenks (32)38,87376–40L4
117August 13at Chicago Sox7–3Garcia (11–7)Miner (7–3)Jenks (33)38,93176–41L5
118August 14at Boston7–4Robertson (11–8)Beckett (13–7)Jones (32)36,39277–41W1
119August 15at Boston3–2Rodney (6–3)Timlin (5–2)Jones (33)36,17978–41W2
120August 16at Boston6–4Wells (2–2)Verlander (14–6)Papelbon (32)36,30478–42L1
121August 17Texas4–2Rogers (12–6)Volquez (1–2)Jones (34)34,75679–42W1
122August 18Texas2–1Millwood (12–8)Miner (7–4)Otsuka (24)39,32779–43L1
123August 19Texas3–1Tejeda (2–3)Robertson (11–9)Otsuka (25)41,64379–44L2
124August 20Texas7–6Benoit (1–1)Grilli (1–2)Otsuka (26)39,07179–45L3
125August 21Chicago Sox7–1Verlander (15–6)Contreras (11–6)39,27880–45W1
126August 22Chicago Sox4–0Rogers (13–6)Buehrle (10–11)39,36181–45W2
127August 23Chicago Sox7–5Garcia (12–8)Miner (7–5)Jenks (36)40,18781–46L1
128August 24Chicago Sox10–0Garland (15–4)Robertson (11–10)41,56581–47L2
129August 25at Cleveland4–2Sowers (6–3)Bonderman (11–6)Betancourt (1)33,41681–48L3
130August 26at Cleveland8–5Westbrook (11–8)Verlander (15–7)Mastny (3)29,13881–49L4
131August 27at Cleveland7–1Rogers (14–6)Lee (10–10)28,34282–49W1
132August 29at NY Yankees2–0Wang (16–5)Robertson (11–11)Rivera (32)52,58582–50L1
133August 30at NY Yankees5–3Grilli (2–2)Proctor (5–4)Jones (35)54,50983–50W1
134August 31at NY Yankees6–4Johnson (15–10)Bonderman (11–7)Rivera (33)54,77183–51L1
September/October: 12–16 (Home: 6–11; Away: 6–5)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecordStreak
135September 1LA Angels9–0Rogers (15–6)Santana (13–7)37,50984–51W1
136September 2LA Angels7–2Rodriguez (2–2)Jones (2–6)37,82684–52L1
137September 3LA Angels2–1Escobar (10–12)Ledezma (2–2)Rodriguez (38)38,68884–53L2
138September 4Seattle6–2Robertson (12–11)Washburn (8–13)32,94885–53W1
139September 5Seattle4–3Pineiro (8–11)Miller (0–1)Putz (30)23,58385–54L1
140September 6Seattle5–4Huber (1–0)Zumaya (6–3)Putz (31)23,06685–55L2
141September 7at Minnesota7–2Verlander (16–7)Baker (4–8)21,22986–55W1
142September 8at Minnesota9–5Neshek (4–1)Ledezma (2–3)29,04286–56L1
143September 9at Minnesota2–1Bonser (5–5)Robertson (12–12)Nathan (30)39,16086–57L2
144September 10at Minnesota12–1Santana (18–5)Bonderman (11–8)40,15886–58L3
145September 12Texas3–2Rodney (7–3)Mahay (1–3)24,19687–58W1
146September 13Texas11–3Millwood (15–10)Verlander (16–8)24,67287–59L1
147September 15Baltimore17–2Bonderman (12–8)Penn (0–3)38,26188–59W1
148September 16Baltimore2–0Robertson (13–12)Benson (10–11)Jones (36)39,03089–59W2
149September 17Baltimore12–8Ray (3–4)Grilli (2–3)37,46489–60L1
150September 18at Chicago Sox8–2Rogers (16–6)Buehrle (12–13)39,42790–60W1
151September 19at Chicago Sox7–0Garcia (15–9)Verlander (16–9)38,85090–61L1
152September 20at Chicago Sox6–2Bonderman (13–8)Garland (17–6)38,97191–61W1
153September 21at Baltimore4–3Benson (11–11)Rodney (7–4)Ray (33)17,87791–62L1
154September 22at Kansas City7–3Ledezma (3–3)Hudson (7–6)13,15192–62W1
155September 23at Kansas City15–4Rogers (17–6)Redman (10–10)15,45993–62W2
156September 24at Kansas City11–4Verlander (17–9)Hernandez (6–10)10,92294–62W3
157September 26Toronto4–3Bonderman (14–8)McGowan (1–2)Jones (37)27,90895–62W4
158September 27Toronto7–4Lilly (15–13)Robertson (13–13)Ryan (36)26,43095–63L1
159September 28Toronto8–6Burnett (10–8)Rogers (17–7)Ryan (37)28,67095–64L2
160September 29Kansas City9–7Greinke (1–0)Walker (0–1)Peralta (1)37,24395–65L3
161September 30Kansas City9–6Wellemeyer (1–2)Miner (7–6)Gobble (2)40,07195–66L4
162October 1Kansas City10–8Gobble (4–6)Rogers (17–8)40,15595–67L5

Player stats

Batting

Note: Pos = Position, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg. = Batting average, HR = Home runs, RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerPosGABHAvg.HRRBI
Carlos Guillén SS153543174.3201985
Iván Rodríguez C136547164.3001369
Magglio Ordóñez RF155593177.29824104
Plácido Polanco 2B110461136.295452
Vance Wilson C5615243.283567
Brent Clevlen OF313911.28236
Omar Infante 2B7822462.277425
Chris Shelton 1B115373102.2731647
Alexis Gómez LF6210328.27216
Curtis Granderson CF159596155.2601968
Marcus Thames LF11034889.2562660
Craig Monroe LF147541138.2552892
Brandon Inge 3B159542137.2532783
Dmitri Young DH4817243.250723
Sean Casey 1B5318445.245530
Matt Stairs DH144110.24428
Ramón Santiago SS438018.22503
Neifi Pérez 2B216513.20005
Jack Hannahan 1B390.00000
Kevin Hooper 2B830.00000
Mike Rabelo DH110.00000
Pitcher Totals—162253.12001
Team Totals—16256421548.274203785

Note: Individual pitchers' batting statistics not included

Pitching

Starting and other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched, IP = Innings pitched, W = Wins, L = Losses, ERA = Earned run average, SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Wil Ledezma (2 HLD)2460.1333.5839
Justin Verlander 30186.01793.63124
Kenny Rogers 34204.01783.8499
Nate Robertson 32208.213133.84137
Jeremy Bonderman 34214.01484.08202
Mike Maroth 1353.2524.1924
Zach Miner (1 HLD)2793.0764.8459

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched, IP = Innings Pitched; W = Wins, L = Losses, SV = Saves, HLD = Holds, ERA = Earned run average, SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLSVHLDERASO
Chad Durbin 36.000001.503
Joel Zumaya 6283.1631301.9497
Jamie Walker 5648.0010112.8137
Colby Lewis 23.000003.005
Chris Spurling 911.100003.184
Fernando Rodney 6371.2747183.5265
Todd Jones 6264.0263703.9428
Jason Grilli 5162.023094.2131
Román Colón 2038.220134.8925
Andrew Miller 810.101016.106
Jordan Tata 814.200006.146
Bobby Seay 1415.100006.4612
Team Pitching Totals1621448.0956746753.841003

Playoffs

American League Division Series

The New York Yankees were heavy favorites over the Tigers to win the series because of their "modern-day Murderers' Row" lineup. All nine batters were current or former All-Stars. The Yankees won the first game, 8–4.

In Game 2, the Tigers took an early 1–0 lead before Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer for New York in the 4th inning. The Tigers came back with single runs in the 5th, 6th, and 7th, including a game-tying home run by Carlos Guillén and a go-ahead RBI triple by Curtis Granderson, to come from behind to win, 4–3.

In Game 3, which was the first postseason game played in Detroit since 1987 (and the first ever at Comerica Park), the Tigers shut out the Yankees, 6–0. Kenny Rogers pitched 7+2⁄3 scoreless innings and struck out eight in winning for the first time in his postseason career [33] and defeated the Yankees for the first time since 1993.

In Game 4, the Tigers defeated the Yankees 8–3 to win the American League Division Series, 3 games to 1. Jeremy Bonderman threw a perfect game through five innings, and allowed just one run on five singles over his 8+1⁄3 innings in giving the Tigers a second straight dominating starting pitching performance. It gave the Tigers their first Postseason series victory since 1984

The final out kicked off a joyous celebration of players and fans throughout Comerica Park and Downtown Detroit. The celebration even included Kenny Rogers pouring champagne over a Detroit Police officer's head. In the process of winning the final three games, the Tigers held the fearsome Yankees lineup scoreless for 20+2⁄3 consecutive innings (from the 4th inning of Game 2 until the 7th inning of Game 4) while scoring 17 runs in that span.

American League Championship Series

The Tigers faced the Oakland Athletics, winners of the American League Western Division, marking their first postseason matchup since 1972.

The A's had defeated the Twins in a three-game sweep in the ALDS.

The Tigers won Game 1, 5–1, as Nate Robertson scattered six hits and three walks over his five shutout innings. In the fourth inning, with men on second and third and nobody out, Robertson memorably struck out the side to preserve his own victory. [34]

Detroit won Game 2, 8–5. Oakland had an early two-run lead before the Tigers' four-run fourth inning gave them the lead for good. Seldom-used outfielder Alexis Gómez got the surprise start as the designated hitter. Gómez hit a homer and drove in four runs, providing another example of Jim Leyland pushing all the right buttons this season. [35]

Returning to Comerica Park for Game 3, the Tigers shut out the A's, 3–0 behind Rogers who allowed only two singles and ran his scoreless streak to 15 innings. The A's did not get a hit off relievers Fernando Rodney and Todd Jones. The two hits were the fewest allowed in a postseason game in franchise history. [36]

In Game 4, with Detroit looking for the sweep, Oakland jumped out to an early 3–0 lead. The Tigers fought back with two runs in the fifth inning, on RBI doubles by Granderson and Monroe, before Magglio Ordóñez tied it with a solo home run in the sixth.

In the bottom of the ninth with the game still tied, two outs and Polanco and Monroe on first and second base respectively, Ordóñez hit his second home run of the night, a three-run walk-off home run off of A's closer Huston Street that sent the Tigers to their first World Series since 1984. The Pennant was the 10th in Tigers history, and the ALCS was won on a walk-off home run for only the third time ever. [37]

Both prior instances were by the Yankees: in 1976 when Chris Chambliss homered to defeat Kansas City and in 2003 when Aaron Boone hit a 10th inning home run to beat the Boston Red Sox.

World Series

Regardless of the outcome for the 2006 World Series, one manager would join Sparky Anderson as the only skippers in history to manage teams from both the AL and NL to a title. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who considers Anderson his mentor, won the 1989 World Series with the Athletics, while Tigers manager Jim Leyland had won the 1997 World Series with the Marlins.

The Cardinals won the first game of the World Series in Detroit 7–2, behind excellent pitching from unheralded Cardinals starter Anthony Reyes.

In Game Two, Kenny Rogers continued his astounding postseason, allowing two hits and no runs through eight innings, as the Tigers triumphed 3–1.

But the Tigers lost the next three games. They were shut out 5–0 in game three by Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter; they lost a 5–4 heartbreaker in game four; and in game 5, the Tigers committed two costly errors, lost a 2–1 lead, and fell 4–2. In the first inning rookie pitcher Justin Verlander threw two wild pitches, tying the Series record (AP); this was in sharp contrast to the five total that he had thrown in all of his previous games. Verlander would go on to commit a throwing error in the fourth inning, allowing the tying run to score. [38]

In the series, the Tigers committed eight errors, five by the pitching staff alone, the most in World Series history.

The Tigers would not return to the postseason until 2011 and they would not appear in the Fall Classic again until 2012

Postseason player stats

Batting

Note: G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg. = Batting average, HR = Home runs, RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Sean Casey 103716.43229
Carlos Guillén 134717.36214
Alexis Gómez 6124.33314
Omar Infante 231.33300
Plácido Polanco 135116.31404
Brandon Inge 134412.27314
Craig Monroe 135012.24059
Marcus Thames 8215.23801
Curtis Granderson 135312.22637
Magglio Ordóñez 135110.19638
Iván Rodríguez 13488.16715
Ramón Santiago 6121.08300
Neifi Pérez 340.00000
Jeremy Bonderman 320.00000
Justin Verlander 420.00000

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched, IP = Innings pitched, W = Wins, L = Losses, ERA = Earned run average, SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Kenny Rogers 323300.0019
Jeremy Bonderman 320+1⁄3103.1011
Nate Robertson 315+2⁄3125.178
Justin Verlander 421+2⁄3125.8223
Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched, W = Wins, L = Losses, SV = Saves, HLD = Holds, ERA = Earned run average, SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVHLDERASO
Todd Jones 700400.004
Jason Grilli 500010.001
Zach Miner 100000.000
Wilfredo Ledezma 410012.252
Fernando Rodney 700022.359
Joel Zumaya 601013.006
Jamie Walker 510004.153

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Toledo Mud Hens International League Larry Parrish
AA Erie SeaWolves Eastern League Duffy Dyer
A Lakeland Tigers Florida State League Mike Rojas
A West Michigan Whitecaps Midwest League Matt Walbeck
A-Short Season Oneonta Tigers New York–Penn League Tom Brookens
Rookie GCL Tigers Gulf Coast League Kevin Bradshaw

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Toledo, West Michigan [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Rogers (baseball)</span> American baseball player

Kenneth Scott Rogers is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, with a 20-year career for six different teams. He won the 1996 World Series with the New York Yankees over the Atlanta Braves, and played in the 2006 World Series with the Detroit Tigers. In addition to being known for his fielding, he pitched the 14th perfect game in MLB history. In 2008, he was the oldest baseball player in the American League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Guillén</span> Venezuelan baseball player (born 1975)

Carlos Alfonso Guillén is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2006 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 World Series</span> 102nd edition of Major League Baseballs championship series

The 2006 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2006 season. The 102nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Cardinals won the series in five games to win their tenth World Series championship. This was the third World Series meeting between the Tigers and the Cardinals, the first in 38 years. The Cardinals won the first in 1934, and the Tigers won the second in 1968; each went the full seven games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 American League Championship Series</span> 37th edition of Major League Baseballs American League Championship Series

The 2006 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2006 American League playoffs, began on October 10 and ended on October 14. The wild card Detroit Tigers swept the West Division champion Oakland Athletics 4 games to none to advance to the 2006 World Series, and became the fourth AL team to win 10 pennants, joining the New York Yankees (39), the Athletics (15), and the Boston Red Sox (11). Magglio Ordóñez's game-winning walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 4 sealed the pennant for the Tigers. This ALCS marked the 5th different AL pennant winner in as many years.

The 2006 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2006 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Saturday, October 7, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 New York Yankees season</span> Major League Baseball season

The 2007 New York Yankees season was the Yankees' 105th. The season started with the Yankees trying to win the American League East championship, a title they had won every season since the 1998 season, but ultimately they came in second place to the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees instead won the American League wild card, beating out the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers.

The 1935 Detroit Tigers won the 1935 World Series, defeating the Chicago Cubs 4 games to 2. The season was their 35th since they entered the American League in 1901. It was the first World Series championship for the Tigers.

The 1945 Detroit Tigers was the team's 45th since they entered the American League in 1901. The team won the American League pennant, then went on to win the 1945 World Series, defeating the Chicago Cubs 4 games to 3. It was the second World Series championship for the Tigers. Detroit pitcher Hal Newhouser was named the American League's Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season.

The 1968 Detroit Tigers won the 1968 World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three. The 1968 baseball season, known as the "Year of the Pitcher," was the Detroit Tigers' 68th since they entered the American League in 1901, their eighth pennant, and third World Series championship. Detroit pitcher Denny McLain won the Cy Young Award and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player after winning 31 games. Mickey Lolich pitched three complete games in the World Series – and won all three – to win World Series MVP honors.

The 1950 Detroit Tigers were a professional baseball team that represented Detroit in the American League (AL) during the 1950 baseball season. The team compiled a record of 95–59 (.617), the second best record in the major leagues, behind the New York Yankees. The Tigers spent most of the season in first place but lost the pennant to the Yankees in the final two weeks of the season. Red Rolfe was the team's manager for the second season and received the Sporting News Manager of the Year Award. The Tigers' home attendance of 1,951,474 was a team record at the time and the second highest in the major leagues during the 1950 season.

The 1940 Detroit Tigers season was their 40th since they entered the American League in 1901. The team won the American League pennant with a record of 90–64, finishing just one game ahead of the Cleveland Indians and just two games ahead of the New York Yankees. It was the sixth American League pennant for the Tigers. The team went on to lose the 1940 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 3.

The 1972 Detroit Tigers won the American League East championship with a record of 86–70 (.551), finishing one-half game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. They played one more game than the Red Sox due to a scheduling quirk caused by the 1972 Major League Baseball strike—a game which turned out to allow them to win the division. They lost the 1972 American League Championship Series to the Oakland A's three games to two.

The 2010 Chicago White Sox season was the organization's 111th season in Chicago and 110th in the American League. The Sox opened the season against the Cleveland Indians at home on April 5 and closed the season also against the Indians at home on October 3. They finished the season with an 88–74 record, in second place in the American League Central, six games behind the division champions Minnesota Twins.

The 2011 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 111th season. The season began on March 31 at New York against the Yankees, and the home opener was on April 8 against the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers honored the late Sparky Anderson during the season. The Tigers sent five players to the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game: starting pitcher Justin Verlander, first baseman Miguel Cabrera, catcher Alex Avila, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, and closer José Valverde. The regular season concluded September 28 at home against the Cleveland Indians, with the Tigers holding a 95–67 record.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2012 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 World Series</span> 108th edition of Major League Baseballs championship series

The 2012 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 season. The 108th edition of the World Series, the series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers; the Giants won in a four-game sweep. This marked the Giants' seventh World Series title in franchise history, their second in San Francisco, and their second in a three-year period (2010–2012). Their World Series sweep was the first by an NL team since the Cincinnati Reds swept the Oakland Athletics in the 1990 series and the first NL sweep not by the Reds since 1963, when the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the New York Yankees. This was also the first World Series since 1988 to feature both of that year's League MVPs. The Giants' Pablo Sandoval, who in Game 1 tied a record by hitting three home runs in one World Series game — two off Tigers' ace pitcher Justin Verlander — was named the World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 American League Championship Series</span> 43rd edition of Major League Baseballs American League Championship Series

The 2012 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the New York Yankees against the Detroit Tigers for the American League pennant and the right to play in the 2012 World Series. The series, the 43rd in league history, began on Saturday, October 13 in New York and ended on Thursday, October 18 in Detroit. The Tigers swept the Yankees, winning the series 4–0. TBS televised all games in the United States. In global markets, MLB International broadcast the ALCS in its entirety, with long-time Baltimore Orioles announcer Gary Thorne and ESPN's Rick Sutcliffe calling the games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Detroit Tigers season</span> other season

The 2013 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 113th season. They finished 93–69, first place in the American League (AL) Central Division. During the season, the Tigers finished one game ahead of the second place Cleveland Indians. They became the first Tigers team to win three consecutive titles since the 1907, 1908 and 1909 clubs won three consecutive American League pennants. The Tigers defeated the Oakland Athletics in five games in the American League Division Series and advanced to the ALCS for the third straight season, the first time a Major League team has done so since the New York Yankees advanced to four straight from 1998 to 2001. They lost the American League Championship Series to the Boston Red Sox, four games to two. Manager Jim Leyland announced his retirement following the American League Championship Series.

The following are the baseball events of the year 2016 throughout the world.

References

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