WTSBaseball: Top 5 Tigers Moments
Howdy, Y’all! It has been a couple of weeks since my latest post, and I am sorry for that. I have been a very busy guy. But don’t worry! More Tigers manna is about to rain down from baseball heaven for you. I don’t have any quail though, sorry.
Ok, so, we have reached the boring part of Spring Training if we are being completely honest. Pitchers are tuned up and ready (Casey Mize throwing 97 and Skubs at 100, Lord thank you), hitters are just about right with their timing, and the first round of cuts are sweeping through teams like gas station sushi. Also, quick note that if you haven’t been looking at Andy Ibañez yet, you should. Dude is absolutely tearing up camp.
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Fire up The Wayback Machine, Mr. Peabody.
Because of this lull in the action, I thought now would be a great time to take a trip down memory lane. I will be highlighting my top 5 moments as a fan. Since this is my opinion, I would love to hear from you all if you think I ranked these correctly, or if you would have a different memory. Let me know your thoughts in the chat!
Author’s Note: These will all be pre-2016 memories, except for one. The reasons are obvious.
As you can imagine, there are so many unbelievable moments from the Tigers teams from 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011-2014. We really had it good back then. As the great Andy Bernard said “I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.” And, man, did we leave them. But, nonetheless, we persevere! Let's get started with the moments that didn’t make my top 5, but I wanted to mention anyways. Roll that Beautiful Bean Footage!!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
3. Carlos Guillen Cycle - 2006
Starting with the third best and moving up, we have a core memory of mine. August 1, 2006, at Tropicana Field, the Tigers took on the artists formerly known as the Devil Rays. The team was already rolling and had brought the magic back to Detroit on their way to winning 95 games that season (they won the wild card, which is just insane if you think about how bad the Central is now lmao). Carlos Guillen starts at shortstop and goes 4-5 and completes the cycle for the 10th time in franchise history and the 1st time since Damion Easley in 2001. Thanks to a miscue in left field by Carl Crawford, Carlos got his triple, and well the rest you can watch here, enjoy:
2. Austin Jackson’s catch to preserve Galarraga’s perfect game - 2010
I am NOT getting into what this game should have been. I have let go of my anger and rage. Plus we all know it still counts. Austin Jackson made many circus catches in center field over the years with the Tigers. None, however, bigger than this one. So many great things about this catch. The drama, the late inning, Rod’s famous “OHHHHH JACKSON!” It was just spectacular. Here you go:
1. Miggy Takes Mo deep in the Bronx - 2013
Ok, this one might be a little controversial with where I have placed it. Yes, this is a classic Miggy moment, and an all timer. However, I have a few moments that stick with me more. Please note that it is at the top of my honorable mentions, and this is MY blog.
I remember this well. Matthew was dog-sitting for the Bairs, and on his way home. Christopher was sitting in the chair in the back corner of the living room and I was on the couch by the TV. All of this at Mom and Dad’s house. About two pitches from the moment Christopher goes “Miggy is gonna go deep here.” You know what? He did:
P.S. He and Vmart also went back to back against Mariano the next day in the 9th as well. Rivera overrated? No, lol, not even close.
Ok, to the main event!
BENJAMIN’S TOP 5 TIGERS MOMENTS
5. Granderson’s Catches Against Wily Mo Pena and Grady Sizemore - 2007 & 2009
I lumped these both together because I couldn’t decide which one I liked best. They are both outstanding for different reasons. July 8th 2007, The Tigers faced off against the Red Sox. Nate Robertson was pitching on his way to a losing season unfortunately. The Tigers won this game by a score of 6-5 and it was this catch that allowed them to win. While 2007 was a down year for the team, this catch and Maggs batting title will always be a special part of my Tigers upbringing. Robertson left one out over the plate for the greatest power hitter that never was, Wily Mo Pena. Then Granderson did this.
The Granderson Robbery of Grady Sizemore might be the best call of all time. We were early in the season and already looking for the playoffs again, and this amazing catch by Curtis may have very well have given us the momentum we needed. Plus, “That ball is GOON-no it's not Granderson caught it.” will never not make me smile. Here you go:
4. Carlos Guillen vs. Jered Weaver - 2011
Oh baby, this is one of my personal favorite moments. Mostly because Jered Weaver is a bitch. This loser still chirps at people on twitter when this gets cycled around about once a year or so. Verlander was throwing a no-hitter, and then Magglio broke up the scoreless game by hitting a long home run, but as he watched while going down the first base line, Weaver (a card carrying member of Weenie Hut Jr’s) screamed at him to “run hard.” The two players exchanged words and gestures as Ordonez circled the bases. The two benches nearly cleared. Everything about this moment is amazing. The Carlos bomb, his smirk, the bat flip and the stare down. I love it. Then, in true cowardly fashion, Crybaby threw the very next pitch at Alex Avila’s head. Get fucked, Jered.
3. Jhonny Peralta Game-Tying 3-Run Homer in 2013 ALDS
Remember when the Tigers were in the playoffs for four straight years? Fun times. I have forgotten what that feeling is like. Cool. However, I have not forgotten how I felt after this moment right here. The commish and I actually share this memory. He and I had gotten lunch at the brand new Bdubs downtown GR (bring back the good BDubs days). After a cold, crisp Boston Lager, we decided to head home and watch the rest of the game there. While driving in the car we heard Dan Dickerson call this homer off of Dan Straily and we lost it in the car. The Tigers had struggled in the series against the A’s. We had lost two in a row and were in danger of being eliminated, but this is where we took the momentum back. We won the game thanks to a clutch Victor Martinez go-ahead homer in the 7th and took the series back to Oakland went on to advance to the ALCS. Thank you Jhonny.
2. Justin Verlander No-Hits the Milwaukee Brewers - 2007
We are really taking it back with this one, but what a memory it is. Back in the day, we used to travel down to Illinois over summer break to see our cousins. We would typically stay for a week or so. It was on one of these trips when I asked my Uncle Steve if I could use his computer to listen to the radio broadcast and use the gameday feature to follow the game. The TV broadcast wasn’t available down there. I tuned in late, and was checking the box score in the 6th inning and I realized that Verlander hadn’t given up a hit yet. I ran to tell my Uncle and he said to come get him if it was still going in the 8th. It was. So he got all my siblings and we crowded into the little hallway room they had by the computer and listened to Dan Dickerson call each out. (Shout out to Nifi Perez for a nifty double play in the bottom of the 8th) We got to the top of the 9th and my uncle turned off the computer monitor so we could just listen to the game. Verlander was dealing. He struck out Craig Counsell and then got Tony Graffanino in the same fashion. Then it came to the last out. My heart got stuck in my throat because JJ Hardy hit a long fly ball and, the way Dan called it, I thought it was going to be a homer. But Maggs caught it and I will never forget all of us celebrating and jumping up and down in our Aunt and Uncle's house. Probably a top memory in my life overall if we are being completely honest.. JV finished with 12Ks. Here is every out of Mr. Verlander’s first no hitter:
1. Miggy’s Last Play at 1st Base - 2023
I can’t say too much about this because I will start crying again, and I really just want to enjoy my Saturday afternoon. I was at this game. Miggy’s last game. The end of an era. The best game I have ever been to in my life, and I don’t think anything will ever come close. Not a single person in the ballpark had a dry eye. Tigers were playing well and beating the Guardians. Then came the top of the 8th inning and out bounds Miggy wearing his 1st base mitt. The crowd goes absolutely bananas. The tv broadcast didn’t capture the magic of all of us realizing what was happening. Unreal chills, man. It felt like time was standing still. Unbelievably, when we thought it couldn’t get any better, the first ball put in play and the second pitch of the inning, went right to José Miguel Cabrera Torres for the first out. The baseball gods knew what they were doing. Miggy was then pulled from the game by his three kids. Sobs. Enjoy.
Hall-of-Fame Memory
Magglio Ordonez sends the Tigers to the World Series for the 1st time in 22 years
Now, I know what you are all thinking. Uh, Ben, I think you may have forgotten one particular 2006 ALCS moment. Well, no, I didn’t. Because that moment is in a category all by itself. We all know the moment Magglio Ordonez took a Houston Street 1-0 slider and deposited it into the left-field seats and the history books. What a moment. The commissioner and I watched this happen on my 13” vhs Tv combo in the basement. After the homer, we all proceeded to splash each other with water as the players sprayed champagne. Happiest moment of my Tigers fandom. Here is that moment as the final entry for this blog. “In the air left field, the Tigers march to the world series!”
I know this was LONG but thanks for following along if you’re still here. Let me know if I missed a few for you or if you would rank them differently!
See y'all soon.
