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    • The Detroit Tigers deserve a final thank you for this magical run
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    The Detroit Tigers deserve a final thank you for this magical run

    Kathleen William Posted on

    CLEVELAND – Riley Greene leaned against the top rail in the Detroit Tigers dugout, arms dangling, looking exhausted as he watched the Cleveland Guardians celebrate at Progressive Field.

    Make mental images.

    I try not to forget.

    “This is fuel for next year,” Greene said after the Tigers' season came to a sudden and devastating end Saturday with a 7-3 loss to Cleveland in Game 5 of the ALDS. “I wish it could have been us, but we played a good game, that’s it.”

    Cleveland advances to the ALCS against the New York Yankees.

    The tigers?

    Pack your bags. Go home. Your magical journey is over.

    RAINER SABIN: In the ALDS Game 5 loss, Tarik Skubal and Detroit Tigers aren't indestructible after all

    After the game, Tigers manager AJ Hinch gave his young, fighting team one final lesson: There's nothing like late-season baseball; it's addictive.

    “He said, 'Once you try it once, it's the ultimate,'” Jake Rogers said.

    But Hinch said something else that's just as important: “AJ said it best – we're going to use this as a foundation for what we're capable of next year,” said rookie outfielder Parker Meadows.

    That's what this team did.

    Not only did it pull off the improbable — it bounced back from a huge hole in mid-August, refused to give up, fought its way back to .500, then made the postseason and beat the Houston Astros in the AL wild-card round.

    Yes, this team did that.

    But along the way, it ignited the fan base and raised expectations.

    “I have a heartbroken team for all the right reasons,” Hinch said. “I mean, we gave it everything we could against a really good team and we didn't want the season to end so abruptly.

    “So I thanked them. You know, I thanked them for everything this room is about. I'm really proud to be the manager and to be able to represent them in front of the camera and in front of the media for so many days and lead the team on the field because of who they are and what they stand for.”

    Ugh – a rope length

    For most of this game, Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal continued to chug along like a train racing down the tracks, racking up strikeouts, keeping the Tigers' season alive, getting out of jams, stunning the Guardians, keeping the Tigers in check and The team waiting for him should take the lead.

    But everything came crashing down in the fifth inning.

    Jose Ramirez, one of the best hitters in the game, came in with the bases loaded and one out. Skubal tried to get up top and hit Ramierz with a left hand. That scored a run.

    On the next pitch, Lane Thomas hit a grand slam.

    “It’s just one pitch and credit to him, he didn’t miss it,” Skubal said. “I think that was probably the first hit he took against me in this series.”

    Yes, one pitch was the real difference in this game.

    One pitch ended a magical season.

    That’s what this team learned.

    “That’s why you’re here – the best of the best are playing here, and it’s hard,” Rogers said. “Every pitch is important. Every pitch counts.”

    Would there be a magical ending?

    Halfway through the game it felt like a Disney movie came to life.

    Kerry Carpenter, who suffered a hamstring injury in Game 4, limped to the plate.

    It hurt him to swing, and it hurt even more to run.

    “Those guys in the clubhouse — those are pretty much the guys I fight for,” Carpenter said. “If I could go, I would choose her.”

    Carpenter faced a rookie pitcher and smashed a ball – it cut through a cool breeze and bounced off the right field wall, scoring a run.

    And he basically walked first.

    “He’s a buddy,” first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. “He is an incredible competitor. He’s tough.”

    Somehow, Carpenter's moment of magic summed up this team.

    I refuse to stop. Overcome the pain. He does everything for his teammates.

    Lessons for the youth

    In the Tigers' quiet clubhouse, the Tigers walked around and hugged each other.

    This team is just so young, so friendly and funny.

    At one point, Hinch had four freshmen on the field: Wenceel Pérez, 24; Justyn Henry Malloy, 24; colt Keith, 23; and Trey Sweeney, 24.

    And it's important to remember how some of these “older” Guys are just as young: Greene and Meadows are also both 24.

    Shoot, Torkelson is one of the old ones…at 25.

    “We lost today,” Torkelson said. “But we are so proud of this group, how we fought and stayed in it. The magic we had in that clubhouse and the belief we had in each other is very special.”

    One of the biggest revelations of the postseason was the emergence of Meadows.

    He hit a double in the second inning, making it seven consecutive one-hit postseason games and tying Charlie Gehringer's franchise record (1934).

    I mean, it's incredible territory for Meadows to move one spot ahead of Al Kaline in 1968. And yes, I just wanted to write a sentence with Meadows and Kaline together to try to put this all in perspective.

    “It hurts,” Meadows said. “Obviously it still hurts, but I think everyone in this locker room kind of looks back on the year and is happy. You know, we proved a lot of people wrong.”

    Thanks, Tigers

    Rogers leaned back on the couch and sipped a beer.

    “I will never forget this team,” Rogers said.

    I reached out and shook his hand. “Thank you,” I said to Rogers. “And I think when I say that, I speak for all of Detroit.”

    Thank you everyone.

    Thank you for bringing October baseball back to Detroit.

    Thank you for accomplishing the improbable while playing the right way, fighting and battling, refusing to give up, and just getting to the postseason.

    Thank you for making this a baseball town again, bringing Comerica Park back to life, and giving Tigers fans two months of must-see baseball.

    Thank you for teaching everyone a lesson in perseverance and having a lot of fun doing it.

    Thank you for just reminding everyone what that's like.

    As Hinch said, it's addictive.

    If this is the ground, if this is the expectation now, the future is just pretty damn promising.

    MORE FROM SATURDAY: Adrenaline ensured that Kerry Carpenter quickly returned to the Tigers' lineup after their loss in Game 5 of the ALDS

    Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his latest columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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    Kathleen William
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