The Detroit Tigers’ season ended in a whimper with a 15-5 shellacking by the Texas Rangers in game 6 of the American League Championship Series.
The Rangers won the series 4-2.
The Detroit Tigers had their best season since 2006, when they went 95-67, the same record as 2011, and lost in the World Series.
This year, the Tigers finished off the regular season as the American League Central Division champions.
Starting pitcher Justin Verlander had a season for the ages, leading the league in wins, with 24, strikeouts, with 250, and innings pitched, at 251.
He only lost 5 games all season, and had a streak of 12 straight starts with a victory.
Verlander also led the majors in WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched) with a .92, and had the third lowest ERA at 2.40.
Most analysts are predicting Verlander will win the AL Cy Young award for pitcher of the year.
The Tigers also acquired starting pitcher Doug Fister from the Seattle Mariners in a trade deadline deal.
Fister started ten games for Detroit after being acquired, and had eight wins, one loss, and a WHIP of .84 in that time period, to go along with a 1.79 ERA.
Rick Porcello, a third-year starting pitcher, has appeared to flat line in development, as his numbers have never matched his rookie season. Porcello went 14-9 with a 1.41 WHIP and 4.75 ERA.
Max Scherzer, acquired in 2009 in the trade involving former Tiger Curtis Granderson, was inconsistent.
Scherzer seemed to either pitch fantastic or awful in every start, and that inconsistency came back to haunt the Tigers in game 6 of the ALCS, as Scherzer was bombed for 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings.
Closer Jose Valverde had a fantastic season closing out games, converting all 49 save opportunities in the regular season.
Although Valverde was mediocre in non-save opportunities, he shined in the role the Tigers’ signed him for.
MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera, the first baseman, had another outstanding season.
Cabrera led the majors in batting average with a .344 average, to go along with 30 home runs, 105 RBIs, 111 runs scored, and was third in the majors in walks, with 108, all team leading numbers.
Victor Martinez, the big off-season addition this year, excelled in his role as the designated hitter. Martinez hit for .330 and led the league by hitting .394 with runners in scoring position.
Catcher Alex Avila had a surprising season after only hitting .228 last season.
Avila hit .295 in 2011 with 19 home runs and threw out 32 percent of base stealers, fourth in the majors.
Jhonny Peralta, the starting shortstop, hit .299 with 21 home runs on the season, and surpassed his career averages in almost every offensive category.
Avila started in the all-star game, while Peralta, Cabrera, Verlander, and Valverde were all voted onto the team as well.
The Tigers’ season may have come to a disappointing end, but fans have no reason to not be happy with their season.
Verlander put on a show for all baseball fans, and the team achieved more than most expected.
