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Detroit Tigers Team Notes Over 3 Million Views!!! Thankyou!

Al Alburquerque may face back-to-back test.
The final test Al Alburquerque received at Triple-A Toledo in late August in his road back from elbow surgery before being recalled to Detroit was a set of back-to-back appearances. In the second game, he struck out the side in order, and Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin said he looked ready. A few days later, Alburquerque was back in Detroit.
Alburquerque hasn't pitched back-to-back days since. The way the Tigers bullpen lines up with the Division Series roster, there's a good chance he might get another test.
Manager Jim Leyland was asked after the Tigers' Division Series roster came out if Alburquerque was available to pitch in consecutive games.
"We would hope so," Leyland said. "It's not the best situation, but we didn't want to use [Brayan] Villarreal on back-to-back days either.
Alburquerque underwent surgery last December to repair a fracture at the tip of his elbow. His return gave the Tigers a valuable strikeout specialist who proved to be a critical piece in the club's run to last year's division title.
Alburquerque struggled last postseason, but opinions differ on whether it was a case of an ailing elbow or rookie nerves.
from the Tigers official site
 
Infante gets refresher on turning double plays.
The Tigers don't do a whole lot of infield work before games. What they do, they accomplish either in early work or during batting practice. So when Tigers infield coach and longtime Major League shortstop Rafael Belliard began taking ground balls at shortstop before Game 1 of American League Division Series on Saturday, it looked odd, like he was maybe trying to keep warm.
Once he started flipping those baseballs to Omar Infante at second base, it made sense. With every defensive play magnified during the postseason, Infante received a refresher course on double plays, a facet that troubled him for part of the stretch run with a couple of wayward throws.
Belliard worked with Infante for a couple of weeks on staying back on double plays, rather than stepping into the runner and risking a takeout slide. Belliard also appeared to be working on helping Infante get rid of the ball quicker. The work seemed to pay off over the final road trip of the season, when his throws were crisper and his feet planted.
from the Tigers official site
 
Mickey Lolich an ironman of a different era.
DETROIT -- Justin Verlander is considered baseball's new ironman pitcher, leading the league in innings and pitches the past two seasons. But even for Verlander, it's nothing compared to what former Tiger Mickey Lolich threw in his career.
Lolich was at Comerica Park for Saturday's Game 1 of the American League Division Series to deliver the ceremonial first pitch. Despite his age (72) and logging 3,638 1/3 innings in his career -- including four straight seasons of 300-plus innings from 1971-73 -- he still had it.
"It was a strike in my day," he joked. "Not the way they call the zone today. A little high."
In 1971, at age 30, Lolich threw 376 innings, 29 complete games, went 25-14 with a 2.92 ERA and tallied 308 strikeouts. To fans of the game today, those number are mind-blowing.
"I used to average about 140 pitches a game," Lolich said. "Back in our day, you had a one-year contract, so you went out and pitched. And if your arm fell off, you were done. ... Nowadays, when they have multi-year contracts and they're guaranteed, they've got to make sure these guys don't get hurt."
For the Tigers' all-time leader in strikeouts, shutouts and games started, it was a familiar feeling stepping onto the mound for a playoff game against the A's. The last time he appeared in the postseason, the AL Championship Series back in '72, it was against Oakland. He threw 10 innings in a 3-2 loss in Game 1, and returned -- on four days' rest, nonetheless -- to pitch nine innings in a Game 4 victory.
Lolich sarcastically smiled when asked if he likes the impact pitch counts now have on the game. Instead, the true Tigers ironman believes the more pitches and innings thrown, the better for a pitcher.
But even though he might not agree with today's limitations, he's still a fan of the game. And especially a fan of Verlander.
"He's supposed to be playing in another league somewhere," said Lolich of Saturday's Game 1 starter. "He reminds me of Sandy Koufax. Just phenomenal when things are going good for him. And I mean, he's a workhorse. He wants to pitch. I bet you he gets into a few arguments out there when he's gotta come out of a game. That's the way a pitcher's supposed to be. And I enjoy watching him."
from the Tigers official site
 
http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25344315&c_id=mlb
Webvideo Avila's homerun.

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25344873&c_id=mlb
Webvideo Verlander's 5th straight strikeout.

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25343829&c_id=mlb
Webvideo Infante scores on the error.

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25345101&c_id=mlb
Webvideo Valverde gets the save.

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/video...345375&c_id=mlb&topic_id=vtp_star_of_the_game
Verlander's dominant start.
Justin Verlander strikes out 11 -- including five straight -- over seven innings of one-run ball, earning the win in Game 1.

from the Tigers official site
 
Last edited:
Verlander's final line: 7IP, 1ER on 3H, 4BB/11K....121P/79 strikes...
JV has now allowed only 2ER last 4GS (30IP) vs. A's....
 
Leyland said Tigers will go with regular lineup against lefties tomorrow, including Gerald Laird behind the plate, Avisail Garcia in RF.
 
With 14 SO tonight, Tigers have matched post-season record for single game. Club had 14 SO in Game 3 of 1972 ALCS versus Oakland.
 
October 7 'A Very Good Day' in Tigers history:

1935 - Goose Goslin of the Detroit Tigers drives in Mickey Cochrane to win the World Series. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, Goslin's hit gives the Tigers a 4 - 3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

1945 - Hank Greenberg hits three doubles to led the Detroit Tigers to an 8 - 4 victory over the Chicago Cubs, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead in the World Series.

1968 - In Game Five of the World Series at Tiger Stadium, Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich leads 5 - 3 over the St. Louis Cardinals, when Lou Brock tries to score standing up on Julian Javier's single and is gunned down by Willie Horton's throw. Al Kaline's bases-loaded single drives in the deciding runs.

Tigers players birthdays:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Milt_Cuyler
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cuylemi01.shtml
Milt Cuyler 1990-1995.

from baseball reference
 
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