The Detroit Tigers are building off their 2024 season with the best record in all of baseball and one of the most dominant pitching rooms in the league.

At the All-Star break of the 2024 season, Detroit was 44-49, and they traded one of their starting pitchers, Jack Flaherty, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After most of the baseball world wrote them off, Detroit went on a magical run, finishing with 86 wins and making a run to the ALDS, where they lost a win-or-go-home game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Detroit looked to capitalize on its stellar finish in 2024 by making some big moves in free agency. They signed second baseman Gleyber Torres and relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle from the New York Yankees. They also brought in Alex Cobb to add to their bullpen, and they brought Flaherty back despite trading him a few months prior.

Fast forward to this season, Detroit has the best record in the MLB, led by one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. They also have a consistent offense, which has led to a recipe for success through a little over one-third of the season.

The Tigers’ pitching room, led by 2024 AL Cy Young Award winner and current 2025 front-runner Tarik Skubal, has been on a roll this season. Detroit ranks in the top five in Walks plus Hits per Innings Pitched with 1.17 and ERA with 3.19.

Detroit has only given up 482 hits, and they hold their opponents to a batting average of .228, which ranks in the top 10. They also have the third most games won by their starting pitchers with 25.

Other notable pitchers for Detroit include starters Casey Mize, Reese Olson, and Flaherty. Some of their top relievers are Will Vest, Chase Lee, Brant Hurter and Kahnle.

Despite Detroit’s pitching being a significant reason why they have the best record in baseball, their offense is not to be overlooked. They’re in the top five for RBIs with 303 and hits with 544.

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They also rank inside the top 10 in home runs with 74 and slugging percentage with .408. Detroit ranks just outside the top 10 in batting average with .251 and on-base percentage with .323.

If the pitching room can continue to look like one of the best in baseball and the offense can remain consistent for the remainder of the season, Detroit will be a tough matchup for any team that has to face them in October.

Detroit Tigers Schedule & Tickets

• June 19: vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
• June 19: vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
• June 20: at Tampa Bay Rays
• June 21: at Tampa Bay Rays
• June 22: at Tampa Bay Rays
• June 24: vs. Athletics
• June 25: vs. Athletics
• June 26: vs. Athletics
• June 27: vs. Minnesota Twins
• June 28: vs. Minnesota Twins
• June 29: vs. Minnesota Twins
• July 1: at Washington Nationals
• July 2: at Washington Nationals
• July 3: at Washington Nationals
• July 4: at Cleveland Guardians
• July 5: at Cleveland Guardians
• July 6: at Cleveland Guardians
• July 7: vs. Tampa Bay Rays
• July 8: vs. Tampa Bay Rays
• July 9: vs. Tampa Bay Rays
• July 11: vs. Seattle Mariners
• July 12: vs. Seattle Mariners
• July 13: vs. Seattle Mariners
• July 18: at Texas Rangers
• July 19: at Texas Rangers
• July 20: at Texas Rangers
• July 21: at Pittsburgh Pirates
• July 22: at Pittsburgh Pirates
• July 23: at Pittsburgh Pirates
• July 24: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• July 25: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• July 26: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• July 27: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
• July 28: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• July 29: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• July 30: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• August 1: at Philadelphia Phillies
• August 2: at Philadelphia Phillies
• August 3: at Philadelphia Phillies
• August 4: vs. Minnesota Twins
• August 5: vs. Minnesota Twins
• August 6: vs. Minnesota Twins
• August 8: vs Los Angeles Angels
• August 9: vs. Los Angeles Angels
• August 10: vs Los Angeles Angels
• August 11: at Chicago White Sox
• August 12: at Chicago White Sox
• August 13: at Chicago White Sox
• August 14: at Minnesota Twins
• August 15: at Minnesota Twins
• August 16: at Minnesota Twins
• August 17: at Minnesota Twins
• August 18: vs. Houston Astros
• August 19: vs. Houston Astros
• August 20: vs. Houston Astros
• August 22: vs. Kansas City Royals
• August 23: vs. Kansas City Royals
• August 24: vs. Kansas City Royals
• August 25: at Athletics
• August 26: at Athletics
• August 27: at Athletics
• August 29: at Kansas City Royals
• August 30: at Kansas City Royals
• August 31: at Kansas City Royals
• September 1: vs. New York Mets
• September 2: vs. New York Mets
• September 3: vs. New York Mets
• September 5: vs. Chicago White Sox
• September 6: vs. Chicago White Sox
• September 7: vs. Chicago White Sox
• September 9: at New York Yankees
• September 10: at New York Yankees
• September 11: at New York Yankees
• September 12: at Miami Marlins
• September 13: at Miami Marlins
• September 14: at Miami Marlins
• September 16: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• September 17: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• September 18: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• September 19: vs. Atlanta Braves
• September 20: vs. Atlanta Braves
• September 21: vs. Atlanta Braves
• September 23: at Cleveland Guardians
• September 24: at Cleveland Guardians
• September 25: at Cleveland Guardians
• September 26: at Boston Red Sox
• September 27: at Boston Red Sox
• September 28: at Boston Red Sox

Detroit Tigers Odds

With Detroit’s success this season, its odds of winning the AL Central are -1450. Detroit also has fantastic odds to win the American League at +300, and the Tigers have the fourth-best odds to win the World Series at +900.

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The Detroit Tigers swept the Houston Astros in two straight games to eliminate them in a Wild Card upset. Among the many disappointments that accompanied the defeat for Houston, Alex Bregman’s impending free agency lingers like a dark cloud.

After the game, the nine-year veteran and career-long Astro shared his farewells with teammates, having potentially played his final game in the blue and orange. Jose Altuve doesn’t believe it.

During an embrace between the two players on the field, the second baseman told Bregman, “You’re coming back.” He remained adamant while speaking with reporters, insisting that the Astros should re-sign his longtime teammate.

“We’re not going to be the same organization without him,” Altuve said. “In my mind, there’s not a chance this is the last one.”

Bregman’s contributions to the Astros during his career are astounding. He has been a cornerstone of a dynastic team that has made four World Series appearances and won two championships since his rookie year. Never batting worse than .259 in a full season, he has also stepped up in many postseason series. He and Altuve, who earned a $125 million extension from Houston earlier this year, are the only non-pitchers remaining from the 2017 World Series team.

At age 30, Bregman has proven that he still has plenty to offer teams in free agency. In 2024, he overcame a slow start and finished the season with a .260 batting average and 26 home runs, earning a 4.1 WAR. Though he hasn’t made an All-Star appearance since 2019, his value to Houston has been undeniable. He likely has one more big contract in him before retirement, but Altuve is reflecting the sentiments of many Astros fans who will demand that the team locks him down for life this off-season.

“He gave a lot to this organization,” Altuve said. “Now it’s time for us, as a team, as an organization, to pay him back and make him stay here.”

They’re not going to go 162-0. While the Tampa Bay Rays, still undefeated after 12 games in 2023, are indisputably the hottest team in baseball, their recent string of success seems to be just as circumstantial as it is earned. It’s only a matter of time before the highly competitive AL East division tightens once more and the current division leaders have to contend for a playoff spot against more worthy competitors.

To argue that the Rays’ historic season-starting winning streak, just one game away from the all-time record as of April 13, is due in part to good fortune is not to discredit the team in any way. Through 12 games, the likes of Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena and Shane McClanahan have been immensely impressive, confirming the team’s seemingly perennial status as a World Series contender despite a shoestring budget.

But Tampa Bay’s domination over the American League has come against — by far — the worst opposition any team in MLB has had to face thus far. The Rays rank dead last in strength of schedule for games played by a wide margin. If they were viewed individually, series sweeps against the Tigers, Nationals and Athletics meant little more than taking care of business for Tampa Bay.

Taking the first two in a series against the Red Sox, arguably the worst team in the AL East, is similarly typical. Nine of these 12 wins came in home games as well. Together, they form a formidable winning streak, but none of these would have been statement wins under normal circumstances.

Forming any sort of streak in baseball is difficult, and the Rays deserve credit for forming a team more than capable of handling less competitive organizations. But the excitement surrounding the team, which includes sky-rocketing power rankings assessments and extremely early championship buzz, does not necessarily feel earned. They have not yet defeated a team that made the playoffs last year.

The value in a baseball season is that its grueling 162-game schedule has a way of ferreting out pretenders. These tried and tested regular season champions aren’t always rewarded in the playoffs, but they usually deserve to be there. The Rays could very well belong in the postseason this year, but they haven’t proven that yet. No one has, and beating the Athletics in April can only mean so much to that end.

The Detroit Tigers have won four World Series titles. Ever. Their last win came in 1984, but they have been to the championship in the last 10 years before they lost to the San Francisco Giants. Even after the loss, they were still dominant, winning the NL Central every year between 2011-14 and making the ALCS in three of those seasons. Every year since they have failed to make the postseason from 2015 on. The only constant is general manager Al Avila.

The Tigers announced last week that they fired Avila, who served as the team’s executive vice president and general manager since 2015 when he took the role following Dave Dombrowski’s departure.

Avila had been with the team for 22 years, serving in the front office since 2022.

Tiger’s chairman Christopher Ilitch released a statement on his dismissal.

“Once I decided to make a change, I sat down with Al and thanked him for his nearly 22 years of service to our organization,” said Ilitch in a statement. “Al’s loyalty and dedication have served as an example to all during his time as a leader in our baseball operations department. I will oversee the search process for our next baseball operations leader, in collaboration with several members of our baseball and business operations executive teams.”

The Tigers have tried their hardest to gain relevance after years of insufficient play. This offseason they signed Javi Baez and traded for Austin Meadows yet their offense did not improve, and they entered last week with the third worst record in the MLB at 43-68.

They have also let go of a lot of talents such as Justin Verlander, JD Martinez, Justin Upton and Nick Castellanos.

Avila released a statement on his dismissal, thanking the fans and organization.

“For nearly 22 years, I have given my heart and soul to this franchise, and I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Iltich, along with Chris, for the opportunity and treating me and my family as their own,” Avila said in a statement. “We’ve celebrated successes and enjoyed great moments, and I’m proud to have worked with so many talented people in baseball operations and throughout the organization. I’ll cherish our friendships and the successes we all celebrated together. To Tigers fans, you’re the best and you deserve a winner. I wish the results would have been better this season but know there is a lot to look forward to in the coming years. God bless everyone.”

Illitch also reiterated the team’s vision and goals moving forward.

“I want to re-establish our momentum and progress toward building a winning team and I am driven to find a talented executive to help us do that,” Ilitch said. “They’ll be entering an organization with many foundational elements in place and an exciting path forward. Tigers fans deserve winning teams, and I’m highly focused and committed to delivering that to the people of Detroit and Michigan. With new baseball operations leadership will come a fresh perspective toward evolving our roster and maximizing our talent to reach our objectives. To be clear, our goals are to build a team that wins on a sustainable basis, qualifies for the playoffs, and ultimately wins the World Series.”

Baseball analyst and Minnesota Twins analyst, Jim Kaat is under fire again for insensitive comments regarding a player once again. During the broadcast of the Detroit Tigers-Minnesota Twins matchup on Thursday, Kaat referred to Yankee’s left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes as “Nestor the Molester” while previewing the Twins-Yankees matchup for June 7. “‘Nestor the Molester,’ Nestor Cortes, Man, he is fun to watch,” Kaat said while praising Cortes’ play after the pitched seven shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angeles on Thursday.

Cortes said after the game that he didn’t feel that Kaat made the statement with any ill intentions. “I’m sure, you know, he didn’t really mean it, and people make mistakes, but it didn’t offend me at all, so, you know, I don’t really have anything more than just that, honestly,” he said. Cortes further supported this in a social media post, “Jim Kaat has spent an entire lifetime in this game we love. He reached out to me and apologized for his remark last night, but he didn’t need to. We all make mistakes and feel 100% there was no malice intended. I plan on lifting him up with this tweet and I hope others do too. No sweat here Jim!”

This is the second time that Kaat has come under fire for insensitive comments while discussing a player. During last year’s playoffs, while discussing All-Star Yuan Moncada with fellow analyst Buck Showalter, Kaat said, “get a 40-acre field full of them [Moncadas].” This received immediate backlash due to the implications of references to slavery.

Kaat apologized quickly saying later in the game, “In fact, I need to read this right now, because earlier in the game when Yoán Moncada was at the plate in an attempt to compliment the great player, I used a poor choice of words that resulted in a sensitive hurtful remark. And I’m sorry.”

As of today, Kaat has not released a statement regarding his comments about Cortes, however, the Minnesota Twins said that they would handle the matter “internally and privately.”

Cortes who has been given the nickname “Nasty Cortes” has been sensational with a 5-1 record and an ERA of 1.50, the lowest in the MLB.

The shadow of Roger Clemens continues on the baseball diamond as the Detroit Tigers have promoted Kody Clemens to the major league roster. Kody is Clemens’ youngest of his four sons and the third to have played professional baseball. Kody is the only one to have reached the major leagues, however. The 26-year-old was a third-round pick in 2018 out of the University of Texas and was playing with the Tiger’s triple-A affiliate in Toledo. The utility man had been batting .283 with a .316 OBP and a .527 SLG in Triple-A this season. He had amassed nine doubles, six triples and eight homers in 45 Triple-A games this season.

Clemens was ranked as the number 17th best prospect in Detroit’s system. Clemens was brought onto the roster to replace the injured Robbie Grossman, who sustained a neck sprain during Sunday’s matchup with the Cleveland Guardians. Clemens plans to wear number 21, the same number his father wore for the first 15 years of his legendary career. Clemens knows the pressure is immense due to his father’s accomplishments but shared with reporters his relief due to the difference in their positions. “Obviously, I’m trying to create my own career path here, but to wear his number is awesome,” Clemens said. “Luckily, we always say that I’m glad I’m a hitter, not a pitcher, so I don’t have to live up to what he did. Half a career as his is unbelievable.”

Meanwhile, the baseball legend himself was present for his son’s major league debut on Tuesday night. “I’m just really happy for him; he’s worked really hard to get here, and it has finally happened for him,” said the 59-year-old. “We got everyone into scramble mode yesterday to get up here.”

The Tigers are in need of offensive help this season as they hold a record of 17-29 and have a league 138 runs.

Following a 77-85, third-place AL Central finish in 2021, the Tigers are projected for three fewer wins (74-88) and just 9.9% playoff odds.

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To avoid its sixth consecutive losing season, Detroit made some big acquisitions over the winter: Javier Baez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Pineda, Andrew Chafin, and Tucker Barnhart, to name a few. Also, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal will anchor the rotation.

Once the most feared hitter on the planet, the 39-year-old Miguel Cabrera will begin his penultimate season in MLB—he’s signed through 2023 plus two option years, which are not likely to be picked up. He’s relinquished his spot at first base and his power has been all but sapped, but he’s still a future Hall of Famer and should be treated as such.

In addition to the proven players, the Tigers will have highly touted prospects such as Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson at their disposal.

A division title is not likely in the Motor City, but a Wild Card birth isn’t out of the question. Their quest begins on April 7 with six games at home against various Sox—first the White for three then the Red for three. They’ll close out the first half with three in Cleveland and begin the second half with two in Oakland. The 2022 Detroit Tigers season concludes with four in Seattle.

Detroit Tigers first base coach and former player Kimera Bartee died Monday after he collapsed while visiting family in Nebraska.

Bartee, 49, had no known prior health concerns and his cause of death remains a mystery. He leaves behind his father, Jerry, fiancée, Terri Slide, 43, and children Andrew, Amari, and Taeja.

“All of us in the Tigers baseball family were shocked and saddened,” Tigers general manager Al Avila said in a statement. “Throughout his time in our organization as both a player and a coach, Kimera was known as a kind soul but intense competitor who did his best every day to elevate those around him to do great things.

“While Tigers fans got used to seeing him in the first base coach’s box, Kimera’s impact on our ball club went far deeper and will be sorely missed.

“The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the organization are with Kimera’s family and friends, and his memory and spirit will never be forgotten.”

Bartee began his baseball career at Creighton University. He spent six years playing in MLB, including four with Detroit.

“We mourn the passing of Kimera Bartee, who played for the Tigers from 1996-99 and spent last season as the Tigers first base coach,” the team wrote on social media.

Bartee spent the final two seasons of his playing career with the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies. After his playing days, he coached for the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, and, of course, Tigers.

Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera hit his 500th career home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during Sunday’s 5-3 win.

Cabrera became the first Venezuelan and the 28th player to join MLB’s exclusive 500 home run club. The slugger achieved the feat by hitting a 1-1 changeup off Toronto starter Steven Matz to right field for a 400-foot solo home run in the sixth inning.

“It was nice timing because that tied the game,” Cabrera told reporters Sunday. “That was big for us because we came in trying to win the series.”

“As the first player in the 121-year history of the Detroit Tigers to accomplish this amazing feat, our organization is excited, proud, and thrilled to join you in celebrating this historic moment,” Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch said in a statement. “We thank you for the excitement you have brought to the game and the memories and joy you have brought to our fans. And all of us are rooting for you in the chase for your next milestone, 3,000 hits!”

Cabrera is the first player to hit 500 career home runs since Boston Red Sox‘s David Ortiz reached the milestone in 2015. The Detroit slugger also joins Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Albert Pujols as the only other active player to have reached the milestone.

Now that he achieved his 500th career home run, Cabrera sets his sights on reaching 3,000 career hits. Only 32 players have finished their careers with 3,000 hits. Cabrera currently has 2,955 career hits. He said it was his goal to reach 500 home runs and 3,000 hits in 2021. However, it seems unlikely he’ll reach the hit mark by the end of the regular season. The 38-year-old batter is currently signed to Detroit through 2023 and could join six players in the 3,000/500 club.

Jack Morris, a television analyst for the Detroit Tigers, apologized Tuesday night for using an accent when describing what the Tigers should do when pitching to the Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani, who was coming up to bat.

The game was tied at two in the top of the sixth inning, outfielder Juan Lagares had struck out and Ohtani, who is Japanese, was up next. Bally Sports Detroit play-by-play announcer Matt Shepard asked, “Now what do you do with Shohei Ohtani?” Morris responded with an accent “Be very, very careful.”

Ohtani was then intentionally walked. Morris addressed his earlier remarks and apologized before the start of the ninth inning when Ohtani was set to bat.

“Well folks, Shohei Ohtani is coming to the plate, and it’s been brought to my attention, and I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community for what I said about pitching and being careful to Shohei Ohtani,” Morris said. “I did not intend for any offensive thing, and I apologize if I did. I certainly respect and have the utmost respect for this guy and don’t blame a pitcher for walking him.”

Cleveland Indians pitcher Triston McKenzie retired the first 23 Detroit Tigers batters on Sunday. McKenzie was only four outs from pitching the 24th perfect game in MLB history. If McKenzie earned the perfect game, it would have been the first since Mariners’ Félix Hernández perfect game exactly nine years ago, on Aug. 15, 2012.

McKenzie lost his bid with two outs in the eighth inning when Harold Castro lined a 2-1 fastball to right field. Regardless, McKenzie’s one-hit shutdown led to an impressive 11-0 win for the Indians.

“I started thinking about it in the third inning, I knew I was perfect through the first time through the order, but I didn’t change my routine,” McKenzie said. “If I had to sum today up in one word, it would be ‘comfortable.’ I got into my groove right away and just kept going.”

“It was a pretty good fastball, but I didn’t get it past him,” McKenzie said of Castro’s hit. “So it wasn’t good enough.”

McKenzie’s near-historic effort would’ve also counted as the record-setting ninth no-hitter of the 2021 season. Tyler Gilbert‘s no-hitter on Saturday was the eighth no-hitters of the season, tying with the 1884 season.

McKenzie’s efforts also denied Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera potentially hitting his 500th career home run in the game. McKenzie struck out Cabrera, who has 499th career home runs and was looking to become the 28th player in league history to hit 500 home runs.

The 24-year-old McKenzie entered Sunday’s start against Detroit with a 5.66 ERA across 16 starts and one relief appearance this season. After his one-hit performance, his ERA has been reduced to 5.12.

It is the year of no-hitters in Major League Baseball. Detroit Tigers‘ Spencer Turnbull is the latest pitcher to record a no-hitter. His victim was the Seattle Mariners.

Turnbull produced the best performance of his career as he recorded his first career no-hitter. Turnbull struck out nine batters on a career-high 117 pitches. The only two batters that did reach first base were the ones he walked. Jarred Kelenic was walked in the fourth inning and Mariners’ first basemen Jose Marmolejos was walked after a full-count curveball missed wide in the ninth inning. 

Turnbull’s no-hitter was the Tigers’ eighth in franchise history and the first since Justin Verlander accomplished the feat in 2011.

Being the fifth no-hitter of the season, the occasion also marked the most no-hitters in the regular season since 2015. In 2015, seven no-hitters were thrown, which is tied for the second-most in a season. In 2016 and 2017, there was only one no-hitter, three in 2018 and four in 2019. Last year, there were only two no-hitters.

The Mariners have now been no-hit twice this season. Earlier this month, Baltimore Orioles pitcher John Means threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts against Seattle. The Mariners are the first team since 1900 to be no-hit twice in the same month.

However, the Mariners are not alone because the Cleveland Indians have also been no-hit twice this season. The Indians were recently no-hit earlier this month, courtesy by Wade Miley of the Cincinnati Reds.

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is rapidly approaching. This means it is time to take a look at predictions for each team going into the 2021 season after the 2020 pandemic shortened campaign.

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The Detroit Tigers placed last in the American League Central in 2019 and 2020. During those two years, they only won 70 of 229 games. In 2020, the Tigers’ pitching staff had the worst ERA in baseball, coming in at 5.63, and they also ranked 23rd in runs scored (249). The future of the Tigers is in the hands of their younger players.

Check out Detroit’s projected starters.

Detroit Tigers Projected Batting Order

1. OF Victor Reyes
2. SS Willi Castro
3. OF Robbie Grossman
4. DH Miguel Cabrera 
5. 2B Jonathan Schoop 
6. 1B Jeimer Candelario
7. C Wilson Ramos
8. OF Nomar Mazara
9. 3B Renato Nunez

Detroit Tigers Projected Pitching Staff

• SP1: Matt Boyd 
• SP2: Jose Urena
• SP3: Spencer Turnbull 
• SP4: Tarik Skubal 
• SP5: Casey Mize
• CL: Gregory Soto

Detroit Tigers Team Outlook:

In the offseason, Detroit signed an assortment of players, including second baseman Jonathan Schoop, outfielders Nomar Maraza and Robbie Grossman, first baseman Renato Nunez, catchers Dustin Garneau and Wilson Ramos, and pitcher Jose Urena. Additionally, the Tigers released first baseman C.J. Cron and catcher Austin Romine.

The entirety of the team’s future relies in developing young starting arms including Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, and Matt Manning. The rotation lacks an ace, and Matt Boyd will likely serve as a trading piece as part of the team’s rebuild if he has a successful 2021. One positive piece of their rotation is former Miami Marlin Jose Urena, who should positively impact the team if he stays healthy.

Detroit’s bullpen still does not have a definite structure, and their starting lineup does not have any star-caliber players. 2021 will probably be a long year for the Tigers, but their promising young guys will probably give them an edge in the future.

Detroit Tigers Schedule:

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With the first pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers selected Spencer Torkelson with the first overall pick out of Arizona State. On Tuesday, the two sides agreed to a deal which includes a record signing bonus worth just over $8.4 million.

In a normal season, it would be very likely that Torkelson, who was drafted by the Tigers as a third baseman, would make his debut sometime during the season. That could still happen during the league’s 60-game season, but that is up in the air. Given that the Tigers are not expected to make the playoffs, it is very likely that Torkelson will make his debut even earlier in the season than expected. 

It is most likely that Torkelson will be added to the Tigers’ taxi-squad and could be called in to play if someone on the Tigers’ active roster gets injured or contracts COVID-19. 

In June 2010, Detroit Tigers then-pitcher Armando Galarraga threw what he thought to be a perfect game. He retired 27 straight batters, however, the last one was riddled with controversy.

The final 27th batter happened to be an incorrect safe call by the first-base umpire Jim Joyce, cutting Galarraga’s streak at the end. 

Since then, Joyce has owned up to his mistake, famously saying he “kicked the shit out of that call.” Joyce said that he was sick over the situation, knowing that he snatched the chance of a perfect game away from a pitcher at the final out. 

The next day, Galarraga gave the Tigers lineup card to Joyce at home plate. Apparently, Joyce was visibly in tears. Interestingly enough, the two formed a friendship from that situation, and even ended up writing a book together, Nobody’s Perfect.

Now ten years later, the former Tigers’ pitcher wants the league to overturn that safe call so his game can officially be considered “perfect.”

“I was like, what can I do to have a better finish to the story?” Galarraga says. “How can Major League Baseball give me the perfect game? Because it was perfect, right?”

Joyce given his approval for the overturning of Galarraga’s one-hit shutout. 

“In this case, I see absolutely zero harm to changing the call. The only fallout would be having to add Galarraga to the list of pitchers to have thrown a perfect game,” Joyce said. “There are officially 23. Major League Baseball: Make the list 24. Armando threw a perfect game. We all saw it. Make it official.”

Despite hitting a walk-off home run against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday to snap a six-game losing streak, Detroit Tigers outfielder Nicholas Castellanos is not a fan of his home ballpark’s outfield dimensions.

“This park’s a joke. It’s to the point where, how are we going to be compared to the rest of the people in the league for power numbers, OPS, slugging and all this stuff when we got a yard out here that’s 420 feet straight across in center field?” Castellanos said after Sunday’s game.

“We get on second base or third base, and they’re looking, like, ‘Man, how do you guys do this?’ We play 81 games here. I don’t want to hear about your two that you hit that are questionable,” said Castellanos, who is slashing .284/.342/.480 this year.

“Move in center field, right-center, there is no reason that I hit a ball 434 off [Washington Nationals right-hander] Anibal Sanchez and it goes in the first row, that shouldn’t happen.”

SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – IN MEMORIAM SLIDESHOW 

Despite it being hard to hit home runs in Detroit, Castellanos led Major League Baseball in triples in 2017 and leads in doubles with 34 this season. Castellanos owes this to the extreme depth in which center field at Comerica Park runs.

https://twitter.com/HookSlide23/status/1153048419306483712

Castellanos, 27, is a candidate for the trade deadline on July 31. The right fielder remains extremely calm about the whole situation, however.

“I’m at the point where I really don’t care what happens,” he said. “Why care? I can’t control it. Why care if one day my hair is going to turn gray if I can’t control it? I don’t know if that analogy makes any sense, but it popped into my head.”

One can only hope that Castellanos can have enough clout to influence a reconstruction of Comerica Park, for his team’s sake.

The Chicago White Sox, while not very far removed from a disappointing 100-loss season, put smiles on their fans’ faces each day they play.

The team plays its home games at Guaranteed Rate Field. The park boasts historic brick murals throughout it, a state-of-the-art scoreboard, and the FUNdamentals deck, which includes batting cages, a small tee ball field and a speed pitch attraction for young fans.

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The White Sox play in the AL Central. That division also boasts the Minnesota Twins, the Detroit Tigers who won the pennant in 2012, the Kansas City Royals who reached the World Series in 2014 and won it in 2015 and the Cleveland Indians, who were one game away from winning it all in 2016.

Chicago most recently won a World Series Championship in 2005. Their squad, led by Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle and A.J. Pierzynski, beat out the Houston Astros in just four games. While they slipped into irrelevance following the retirement of Konerko and World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, the Sox now field a relatively competitive team. Top prospect Eloy Jimenez has made a habit of sending balls over the outfield walls and shortstop Tim Anderson is hitting .453 while playing one of the hardest positions in baseball.

“He’s a five-tool guy. There’s no way of looking beyond that, he’s a five-tool guy,” manager Rick Renteria said of him. Two-time All-Star Jose Abreu holds down first base for the team.

And even when the White Sox are down, their games are still interesting to watch because of interviews like this one:

The White Sox are finishing up a three-game series against Kansas City on Tuesday, April 16 and the 17. The matchups will take place at Guaranteed Rate Field and will feature a few speedy batters racing around the bases. Tickets for that series start at $6.

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Then, Chicago will head out to Comerica Park in Detroit to face off against the Tigers for four games. The series will start on Thursday, April 18 and end on Sunday, April 21. While just three games below .500, facing their AL Central rivals gives them a good chance to push that number up over the hump, tickets for the four games range from $6 to $96.

After that, the White Sox will head over to Baltimore to take on the Orioles. They’ll spend three games out there and hope to climb up their division standings. Tickets begin at just $9.

Here’s the White Sox schedule for the rest of April:

4/16 – Vs Kansas City Royals

4/17 – Vs Kansas City Royals

4/18 – @ Detroit Tigers

4/19 – @ Detroit Tigers

4/20 – @ Detroit Tigers

4/21 – @ Detroit Tigers

4/22 – @ Baltimore Orioles

4/23 – @ Baltimore Orioles

4/24 – @ Baltimore Orioles

4/26 – Vs Detroit Tigers

4/27 – Vs Detroit Tigers

4/28 – Vs Detroit Tigers

4/29 – Vs Baltimore Orioles

4/30 – Vs Baltimore Orioles

The New York Yankees will host the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, and here is everything you need to know.

Tigers vs. Yankees Preview

This is the second game of a four-game series. Detroit (54-80, .403) won Thursday’s opener 8-7. The Yankees (84-50, .527) are 8.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox (93-42). The Tigers are third in the AL Central, 8.5 games behind second-place Minnesota and 22.5 contests behind division-leader Cleveland.

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Luis Severino (17-6, 3.27 ERA) will start for the Yankees against fellow right-hander Jordan Zimmerman (6-6, 4.38 ERA). Severino boasts 189 strikeouts this season, while Zimmerman has struck out 88 batters.

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Friday’s game at Yankee Stadium will start at 7:05 pm EST, and will air on YES and Fox Sports Detroit.

The Boston Red Sox will visit the Detroit Tigers on Friday night in both teams’ first game after the All-Star break, and here is what you need to know.

Tigers Vs. Red Sox Game Preview

This will be the opener of a three-game series. The Red Sox (68-30), who own the best record in MLB, are coming off a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Tigers (41-57) last beat the Houston Astros 6-3.

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Lefty Matt Boyd will likely start for Detroit. He will probably face fellow left-hander David Price (10-6, 4.42 ERA), who  has struck out 109 batters this year.

Friday’s game at Comerica Park will start at 7:10pm EST and will air on NESN and Fox Sports Detroit.

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The Tigers are third in the AL Central, 12.5 gams behind leaders Cleveland and five games behind Minnesota.

On Wednesday, the Detroit Tigers fired pitching coach Chris Bosio after it was revealed he made insensitive remarks to another team employee.

Tigers Fire Pitching Coach Chris Bosio

General manager Al Avila told ESPN that bullpen coach Rick Anderson will replace Bosio. Andeson will in turn be replaced by pitching instructor A.J. Sager. 

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Tigers pitcher Alex Wilson commented on the unfortunate nature of the situation.

“We’re sorry to everyone that it affected,” Wilson told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s not a good day here. It’s a sad day. But we’re going to move forward, and hopefully this brings us closer than we’ve ever been.”

The exact comment Bosio made has not as of yet been revealed, although according to Fox News, a local television station said the coach used “racially charged language” to address the employee in question. The Tigers released the following statement on the incident:

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Bosio, 55, is a former MLB pitcher who payed for Seattle and Milwaukee and who had just joined the Tigers this year after working as the Chicago Cubs’ pitching coach for six seasons.

During his time in Chicago, Bosio helped lead the team to record the lowest ERA in MLB for three straight years (2015-2017). The Cubs won the World Series in 2016 and advanced to the NL Championship series in 2017.

The Tigers (36-45) are third in the AL Central, half-a-game behind second-place Minnesota and nine games behind leader Cleveland. Detroit has lost eight straight games, the last of which was a 3-0 home loss to the Oakland Athletics.