Tag Archives: detroit tigers

Rest of MLB, take note of how Tigers handled delay

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I was originally going to rip the Detroit Tigers and the rest of Major League Baseball. The Red Sox and Tigers still played after a 4 hour pre-game rain delay on Saturday. That left me baffled and frustrated.

How could an MLB team make their fans pick between two undesirable options? On one hand, a fan could choose to head home after paying for their ticket, wasting their money. The other option is waiting in the park for the game to start, which might not even be played that day.

Having their loyal fans make that choice is nothing sort of disrespectful. This could be many fans only game the entire season. Not to mention, the Tigers are not exactly World Series contenders, at 28-55 before play.

I was going to write how inconsiderate the Tigers and other MLB teams are to their own fans during rain delays. Organizations never refund purchases and also have no problem starting games late at night. They never once consider how their decisions worsen the fan’s viewing experience. Then I heard something interesting from the Tiger’s broadcast.

They said that anyone who bought a ticket to the game would receive a free ticket to a 2019 Tiger’s game. So I immediately needed to edit the topic of my article.

I will give Detroit credit for this awesome gesture as not every team would do this in the same situation. (*Cough Cough, John Henry, Cough*) It appears the Tigers will reward fans who left or stayed with the same deal of a free ticket. Good on the Tigers for paying back their most devoted fans.

However, this game highlights an area MLB needs to improve in, weather delay guidelines. Too many times fans are the ones most impacted by lousy weather. The customers either have to sit through the rain or go home without getting what they paid for. MLB needs to put the fans at the forefront when considering weather delays.

After tonight, it is clear MLB should set a limit on how long a rain delay can be. There simply has to be a cutoff. 4 hours is way too long to be waiting for a game that might be played on a later date. How long the delay can be is debatable, but it is clear MLB needs a set time limit.

There are other guidelines MLB should think about. For example, teams could do what the Tiger’s did today and compensate fans who bought tickets to a delayed or canceled game. MLB needs to remember that the fans should be the number one priority during weather delays, not the players, managers, or owners.

However, this is coming from the same sport who refuses to try and make the game more enjoyable for their customers. (Who doesn’t love watching Marcus Stroman take two and a half minutes in between pitches?) This move, however, seems so obvious even Major League Baseball would see the benefits and make the change. Right!?

Photo Courtesy of Detroit Tigers official Twitter

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones

On This Day In Red Sox History: Clemens Ties Own Record

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On September 18. 1996, the Red Sox played the Tigers at old Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The matchup was the second of the series, with the Red Sox having taken the first game 4-2. Roger Clemens was on the mound for the Sox in the midst of a stellar stretch to close out the season. He faced off with young left-hander Justin Thompson. Thompson would be an all-star the following season but was still finding his footing at the big league level.

Clemens’ 1996 Season

Roger Clemens had been struggling for much of the 1996 season, pitching to a 4.36 ERA by the end of his start on August 1st. He went on a dominant stretch over the final two months to close out his free agent season. Heading into this game with the Tigers, Clemens was 5-1 with a 2.17 ERA over his previous seven starts. Those numbers would only get better as the night wore on. The 34 year old Clemens would go on to strike out 20 Detroit Tigers batters on the night, tying his own Major League record set back in 1986 against the Seattle Mariners. He was the only person to ever accomplish the feat at the time.

Breaking Down Clemens’ Historic Strikeout Feat

Clemens struck out two batters in the first, then struck out the side in the second. He struck out two more in both the third and fourth innings before striking out the side again in the fifth. He gave up a leadoff single to Brad Ausmus in the sixth, but proceeded to strike out the next three batters. Clemens struck out two in the seventh and two in the eighth to give him 19 strikeouts through eight innings. He had struck out at least two batters in every inning.

Maybe he had worn down some from all the work, but the first two outs in the ninth inning were not by strikeout, leaving Clemens still one away from the record with one out to go. He came through, striking out Travis Fryman for the fourth time in as many at-bats to tie his own Major League record.

An incredible 14 of the 20 strike outs were swinging. Clemens got 32 strikes total on the night swinging. 101 of his 151 pitches on the night went for strikes. Six of the eight Tigers starters struck out multiple times, with Phil Hiatt striking out in his only at-bat off the bench. Travis Fryman struck out in all four at-bats, including the 20th punch out on the night. Tony Clark struck out three times.

Other Noteworthy Peformances

Bill Haselman was Clemens’ catcher for the game. When Haselman caught Clemens that season, The Rocket had a 3.10 ERA. In all other starts made by Clemens, his ERA was 4.71. In addition to his catching, Bill Haselman had a three hit game at the plate and drove in two runs. Joining him with three hits was September call-up Rudy Pemberton. Pemberton was a former Detroit Tigers farmhand and was having a heck of a September for the Red Sox. He had the only two extra-base hits for either team on the night, doubling twice amongst his three hits. Mike Greenwell had two hits and stole a base. Nomar Garciaparra stole the very first base of his Major League career.

The entire game is actually available on YouTube to watch. I watched it for the first time a couple years ago, as the night it happened I was relegated to listening to the game on the radio. If you aren’t a crazy fan like my and just want to see some highlights, enjoy the clips of all 20 strikeouts by Roger Clemens that night below.

Division Predictions: AL Central

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We now arrive at the American League Central. The division has the potential to be the worst in baseball. The loss of Hosmer in Kansas City pulls the Royals out of serious talks of a potential contention. Chicago will be led by the likes of José Aubreu and Yoan Moncada. Detroit has a new manager. The Twins will look to contend for a spot in the Wild Card. Here’s how the division will pan out:

Chicago White Sox

Other than José Aubreu and Yoan Moncada, not much is expected this season from Chicago. James Shields will be the ace of the staff this season, looking to be the leader in that rotation. For Chicago, that’s really all I got.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins are looking to return to the Wild Card game this season with high hopes. Players like Miguel Sano, newcomer Logan Morrison, and Eddie Rosario will look to lead the way in the lineup. The only issue for the Twins again is their pitching. Ervin Santana will lead the staff. Pitching is going to have to step up for Minnesota if they wish to be legitimate contenders for the Wild Card.

Detroit Tigers

It seems every year, we hear less and less about Detroit. They’ve seem to be slipping down a slope that can be easily fixed. Regardless, for right now Detroit will have to hold their own with what they’ve got now. Miguel Cabrera will lead the lineup per usual, along with José Iglesias and Victor Martinez. Jordan Zimmerman will take the helm of the staff followed by newcomer Francisco Liriano. You never know, Detroit could surprise you. Don’t hold your breath.

Kansas City

Kansas City took a huge toll losing Eric Hosmer to San Diego in free agency. Nonetheless, franchise veterans Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez will look to lead a very interesting ball club. Danny Duffy and Ian Kennedy will lead the staff, along with being the keys to their success out of the rotation.

Cleveland Indians

No team in the division will be able to contend against Cleveland. They have all the necessities to contend for a world title, but execution is key. Being bounced in the ALDS by New York should be a huge wake up call for the tribe. Corey Kluber is looking for yet again another Cy Young caliber season. Lindor, Encarnacion, and Jose Ramirez leading are leading an always talented lineup. Yonder Alonso joins the team as a huge acquisition to the ball club. Cleveland is no joke, maybe this season they won’t choke.

Final Standings

Cleveland Indians

Minnesota Twins

Kansas City Royals

Chicago White Sox

Detroit Tigers

What a Hanley Ramirez Trade Could Look Like

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Embed from Getty Images

Photo by Getty Images

Trading Hanley Ramirez Could Help or Ruin This Season

In what seems to be a lackluster off-season for the Boston Red Sox, teams like the New York Yankees got seemingly stronger. So far, in response they have resigned Mitch Moreland to a team-friendly 2 year contract. In addition to making Samuel Adams the official beer of the team. The clear-cut move: Trade Hanley Ramirez.

With a hefty $22 million dollar vesting option for 2019, the trade will be tough. He only needs 497 plate appearances this year. The President of Baseball Operations is no stranger from making trades. The key to pull this off is simple: leave the farm system alone!!!!

Dave Dombrowski has a reputation of making trades for win now mode. Examples of this are going for Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel. With that being said, if you move the DH to a National League team, you could potentially receive a couple of prospects in order to make room for JD Martinez. There might even be flexible room enough to grab a bench bat to even out the salaries. One way to boost the intrigue is to eat some of his $22 million dollar contract.

It helps to have the history that Dave and Martinez have throughout the years. When he held the same position in Detroit, he traded for Martinez. After that, his stats went up. It helped to be around hitters like Miguel Cabrera, who is a lock for the Hall of Fame. In Boston, David Ortiz will be back around the clubhouse, as he has a verbal agreement with his team.

With a little over 100 days until the regular season is under way, there is plenty of time to make a contender out of a very good ball club. With players such as Benintendi, Devers, and Betts driving the young core, this team’s future looks bright.

 

Credit to NESN for the featured picture.