A’s and Tigers refocus
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics advanced to the A.L. Championship Series and celebrated as if they’d won a World Series.
With good reason.
The A’s finally ended what had begun to feel like a hex of first-round failures by sweeping the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers, still hearing all about the club’s 119-loss showing from three years ago, overcame a late-season collapse that cost them the A.L. Central title, then defeated the not-so-mighty-after-all New York Yankees.
Now they must put the thrill of just getting past the first round behind them to focus on a best-of-7 series both sides expect to be hard fought and without a clear favorite. Game 1 is Tonight, with Barry Zito pitching for the A’s against fellow left-hander Nate Robertson.
“For us, it’s just about continuing on that high,” A’s first baseman Nick Swisher said Monday. “So they had a little down time at the end of the year – so what?”
Both teams held wild clubhouse parties in their home ballparks in a two-day span last week – first Oakland on Friday, then Detroit a day later.
“This is a loose ballclub. We’re happy to be here, but we’re here to win,” Oakland slugger Frank Thomas said. “We’ve stressed that throughout the last of the season and the playoffs so far. … “
The Tigers went all out in the season’s final game to try to win the division to avoid opening the playoffs against the Yankees, using their top relievers and even bringing in starter Kenny Rogers out of the bullpen. They still ended up being swept by the lowly Kansas City Royals and settling for the wild card.
Yet it worked out just fine for first-year manager Jim Leyland’s team, which dropped Game 1 to New York before winning three straight.
“The sweep for the A’s against the Twins is history, and the great series win for us against the Yankees is history,” Leyland said. “Now this is a new chapter, which is what the playoffs are all about. … Both teams are going to come out with confidence.”
The free-swinging Tigers went 5-4 against the A’s with a 52-39 advantage in runs, the first time since 2000 Oakland lost the season series.
“Them being here is not an accident,” A’s manager Ken Macha said. “They’re pretty darn good. They deserve to be here. Our guys feel good about themselves, and they should. We won the division and played three great games against Minnesota.”
Thomas and close friend Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers’ right fielder, both found success with new teams after leaving the Chicago White Sox in the offseason. They exchanged text messages all season long.
“I think we’re totally different ballclubs,” Thomas said. “As far as coming to play every day and play hard, that’s what both these clubs do. They’re not a surprise team. They’ve been the best team in baseball all year long. I think we’re the biggest surprise.”
Detroit’s pitching staff is loaded with power arms, including Game 2 starter Justin Verlander, Game 4’s Jeremy Bonderman and Joel Zumaya. Then there’s Rogers and his remarkable record against his former team.
Rogers, practically unbeatable in the Coliseum as far back as anyone can remember, will pitch Friday’s Game 3 at Comerica Park – so he would be slated to go in the decisive seventh game back in Oakland if the series goes the distance. Both Rogers and Bonderman used to pitch in Oakland’s organization.
Tigers pitchers limited the A’s to a .229 batting average, but six of the nine meetings came before the All-Star break when Oakland turned around its season. With Thomas and Milton Bradley healthy, the A’s scored a run more per game in another sensational second half.
The A’s added minor league infielder Mark Kiger to fill the spot of second baseman Mark Ellis, who broke his right index finger in the ninth inning of Game 2 against the Twins. D’Angelo Jimenez will start at second.