Pat Caputo: Big Tiger Victories Aren't As Impressive If They Fail On The Road
There is an ebb and flow to each baseball season. If there is anyone who understands that, it's Tigers fans.
The Tigers, in fact, have been the classic example it isn't how you start a season that matters as much as how you finish it.
Understanding that, however, doesn't diminish the beginning of the season.
It isn't necessarily going to make a club. It can break one, though.
Perhaps it is being overly dramatic, granted, but you did get the sense the Tigers were at the breaking point following Monday's loss to the Texas Rangers.
Justin Verlander, the Tigers' ace, had pitched very well. The effort was wasted. The Tigers were off to a 3-7 start, including being defeated two out of three games at Comerica Park by the forever rebuilding Kansas City Royals. The last time the Tigers had a similar start or worse and still managed a winning season was 1980 — Sparky Anderson's first full year as manager. It was the 12th time since the Tigers began 3-7. The previous 11 times they eventually had losing records.
