2006 TOP TEN Number 8

The last time the Detroit Tigers made it to the playoffs was 1987. Between then and September, the Tigers have lost the most games of any major-league club. After their spectacular performance through the summer, the Tigers roared through the fall with the best record of the of the league. In the coming weeks, the Tigers entered the playoffs and faced trouble from the start. They faced the Yankees and lost the first game of the series but quickly tied it up by winning the second game. This is the were Curtis Granderson tripled home the winning run in the seventh, one inning after Carlos Guillen tied it with a solo homer. Stellar performances by ptichers Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman helped advance the Tigers to face the A's in the ALCS.

The Tigers won Game 1 against the A's and then in the second game of the series, Alexis Gomez hit a two-run single and a two-run homer foreshadowing his anticipated appearance in the World Series. Magglio Ordonez secured his place in history by sending the Tigers to the World Series with his show-stopping walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth in the fourth and

final game of the ALCS.

The Tigers faced the Cardinals in the World Series. They lost Game 1, but Kenny Rogers delivered eight scoreless innings to capture victory for the Tigers. But the celebration was soon brought to a halt by several errors throughout the remaining games. The St. Louis Cardinals won Game 5 tonight over the Detroit Tigers, to clench the 2006 World Series championship title.

Despite the anticipated buzz, The Cardinals' victory over the Tigers averaged a record-low ratings score. And just days after the World Series, their hometowns find themselves atop a list no one wants to lead: the most dangerous cities in the United States.

Despite Buzz, World Series Ratings Reach Record Low

from AP

A World Series to remember for the St. Louis Cardinals was one to forget when it came to television ratings. The Cardinals' five-game victory over the Detroit Tigers averaged a record-low 10.1 television rating and 17 share. This year's rating dropped 9 percent from the previous bottom, an 11.1 for a four-game sweep by the Chicago White Sox over the Houston Astros last year.

The national rating is the percentage of U.S. television households tuned to a program, and each point represents 1,114,000 homes. The share is the percentage of households watching a broadcast among those homes with televisions in use at the time.

Endgame

The St. Louis Cardinals won Game 5 (4-2) tonight over the Detroit Tigers, to clench the 2006 World Series championship title.

Keep Hope Alive

David Eckstein doubled off the glove of Craig Monroe to drive in the go-ahead run as the Cardinals beat the Tigers, 5-4, in Game 4 of the World Series. The Cards lead the series, 3-1, with Game 5 at 8 ET Friday.

Sean Casey had a pair of RBIs, but Detroit's defense and timely hitting by the Cards did the Tigers in.

And the Show Must Go On

Down a game, Detroit turns to Jeremy Bonderman vs. NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan. Originally scheduled to start at 8PM on Wednesday, Game 4 of The World Series was postponed due to weather. The first pitch launches at 8:19 PM despite the threat of bad weather.

Tomorrow's forecast for Saint Louis is as follows:

Critical Error

The World Series shifted to St. Louis for Game 3,where Jim Edmonds' two-run double and Joel Zumaya's two-run error led to a 5-0 lead for St. Louis in the seventh inning. Chris Carpenter allowed just three hits over eight shutout innings. Sean Casey and Brandon Inge had the only hits against Chris Carpenter.

Joel Zumaya took little comfort in the obvious fact that even without his error, the Tigers still would have lost this game. Soon after the Cardinals beat the Tigers, Zumaya beat himself up for a throwing miscue that led to two unearned runs, giving the Cardinals a commanding four-run lead instead of keeping the deficit at two. Zumaya opted to shoulder most of the blame for this loss.

The Cardinals lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is scheduled for an 8:19 start on Thursday.

Tigers Settle the Score

After eight scoreless innings to pitch the Tigers back to even in this World Series with a 3-1 victory over the Cardinals in Game 2, it's looking historic. Kenny Rogers stretched his postseason scoreless streak to 23 innings, allowing just two hits throught eight shutout frames.

While Rogers worked out of two-out trouble in the opening inning, the FOX network broadcast noticed a smudge on his left hand near his thumb. Cardinals players watching the broadcast inside the visiting clubhouse at Comerica Park apparently saw the footage and alerted Tony La Russa. The manager, in turn, went to home-plate umpire Alfonso Marquez and wanted Rogers to remove whatever it was on his hand. Tthe incident was investigated, and the substance was described as dirt. Since it was not ruled to be a foreign substance, Rogers remained in the game.

Other noteworthies: Craig Monroe's franchise-record-tying fifth home run of the postseason and Carlos Guillen's RBI double fueled a two-run opening inning against ex-Tiger Jeff Weaver.

Tigers Loose Game 1

Justin Verlander kicked off Game 1 of the 102nd World Series for the Tigers and Carlos Guillen's RBI single in the first got the Tigers started, but they dropped Game 1 to St. Louis. Cardinals' Rookie Anthony Reyes pitched into the ninth inning, while Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen both homered to lead the Cardinals to a 7-2 rout of Detroit in Game 1 of the the World Series. Game 2's start time is scheduled @ 7:30 PM.

22 Years in the Making

Magglio Ordonez wiped away the memories of the Tigers' 119-loss 2003 season with one swing. His three-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning sent the Comerica Park crowd into a frenzy and Detroit to a 6-3 ALCS-clinching win in Game 4 on Saturday. After years of wandering through the baseball wilderness, the Detroit Tigers have reached the Promised Land: the World Series. They won the American League Championship Series with a determined, gritty performance typical of the team they've become.

Magglio Ordonez

The last time the Tigers were in the World Series, Reagan was in the White House and Prince was rocking Walkmans. After 22 years, the Tigers, who swept the A's with a 6-3 win on are back. Magglio Ordonez's solo home run tied the game in the sixth inning. His walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth sent the Tigers into the World Series.

Joel Zumaya Injured

The news on Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya was about as good as manager Jim Leyland said he could expect. But right now, they have no expectation on when the triple-digit fastball pitcher will be able to pitch again. Results of an MRI exam and an ultrasound conducted on Thursday morning confirmed inflammation in his right wrist and forearm, which is "very similar" to the injury he suffered in September. Zumaya missed a week with the injury last month, but that timetable has no bearing on how much time he'll miss now.

Without Zumaya, the bullpen becomes more a committee role in filling the innings leading up to Todd Jones in the ninth. Chief among the other relievers is Fernando Rodney, who struck out the side in the eighth inning on Wednesday to preserve what ended up an 8-5 win.

Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers picked up where he left off against the Yanks, throwing 7 1/3 shutout innings as his Tigers took a 3-0 ALCS lead. Also, Craig Monroe smacked a solo homer in the win.

Alexis Gomez

Alexis Gomez hit a two-run single and a two-run homer as the Tigers defeated the A's, 8-5, in Game 2 of the ALCS. All but one of Detroit's runs came courtesy of the Nos. 7-9 batters: Craig Monroe (two RBIs), Gomez (four) and Brandon Inge (one). Game 3, scheduled for an 8:00 PM start tonight, has been postponed for a 4:00 start on Friday.

Brandon Inge

Brandon Inge came within a triple of hitting the first cycle in playoff history, and Nate Robertson tossed five shutout innings, leading the Tigers to a 5-1 victory over the A's in Game 1. Inge homered and hit an RBI double, and Pudge added a solo homer as the Tigers have come up big against the A's in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series. Game 2 is scheduled for Wed at 8:00 PM with coverage on FOX (Detroit TV 2).

Jeremy Bonderman

Early offense led Jeremy Bonderman, who helped the Tigers earn a meeting with the A's in the ALCS. The team that couldn't beat the Royals in three tries to win the American League Central overwhelmed the Yankees to win its AL Division Series instead. While Jeremy Bonderman retired the first 15 batters he faced, Craig Monroe's two-run homer propelled Detroit to its largest offensive attack of the series, sending the Tigers to an 8-3 victory on Saturday night and their first postseason series victory since the 1984 World Series.

Though Bonderman won 14 games and produced the first 200-strikeout season in 19 years from a Detroit pitcher, he was the true wild card in the AL Wild Card's blueprint for beating the Bronx Bombers. He lasted 8 1/3 innings, surrendering two runs on five hits. A Magglio Ordonez solo homer and Monroe's two-run shot down the left-field line paced a three-run second inning before Ivan Rodriguez's RBI single knocked out New York starter Jaret Wright in the third.
Four straight hits off Cory Lidle leading off the bottom of the sixth, including an Ordonez run-scoring single and Carlos Guillen's RBI double, sent the Tigers rolling and a sellout crowd of 43,126 into anticipation.

Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers made his end of the duel with fellow veteran Randy Johnson one for the ages, shutting down the Yankees and moving the Tigers one win away from a berth in the AL Championship Series. Sean Casey and Curtis Granderson had two RBIs. As a result, the Tigers' 6-0 win put them to within a win of their first postseason series victory since the 1984 World Series.

Carlos Guillen

Curtis Granderson tripled home the winning run in the seventh, one inning after Carlos Guillen (pictured) tied it with a solo homer. The Tigers' 4-3 win evened the series at one game apiece. Things definitely looked good for the Yankees in the fourth inning after they surged in front on Johnny Damon's three-run homer to the upper deck in right. But the Tigers rallied off Yankees starter Mike Mussina, tying the series heading back to Detroit.

Tigers Can't Overcome Yank's Game 1 Onslaught

Nate Robertson gave up six straight hits in a five-run third that set the tone in the Tigers' Game 1 loss. The Tigers fought back with three runs in the fifth, getting a solo homer by Craig Monroe to open the inning and RBI doubles by Placido Polanco and Sean Casey. Derek Jeter became the sixth player in postseason history to collect five hits in a game, leading the Yankees to an 8-4 win over the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS. His final hit of the game was a solo homer in the eighth inning.

Craig Monroe

Okay, so Sunday's game wasn't a playoff game: But I gotta show some love for Craig Monroe. His three-run homer punctuated a nine-run second inning, helping to clinch the Tigers' first playoff berth since 1987 with an 11-4 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Infante is congratulating him here.

Tigers Clench Playoff Seat

from the Detroit News

The last time the Detroit Tigers made it to the playoffs was 1987. Between then and now, the Tigers have lost the most games of any major-league club. On Sunday, they coasted to an 11-4 win over the Kansas City Royals by scoring nine runs in the second inning. The Tigers have a week left in the season to try for the league's best record (which means home-field advantage throughout the playoffs) and the Central Division title. They regained the best record Sunday, and they kept their division lead on Minnesota at 1 1/2 games. In effect it's 2 1/2 games, because the Tigers win the tiebreaker based on winning the season series from the Twins.

We will have complete coverage of Tigers playoff action and will begin featuring a new "Player of the Game" segment after each playoff win!