Detroit Tigers Make Unwanted History During Disastrous Sixth Inning
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The Detroit Tigers were hoping that when they turned the calendar over from August to September, the final game of August would stay in August. Unfortunately, it only got worse in the first game of the new month, dropping game two against the Minnesota Twins, 15-2.
Not only has Detroit been outscored 26-3 in two games against their divisional opponent, but they also saw history repeat itself for the first time in over a decade. The big blow for the Tigers came in the bottom of the sixth inning, which saw 10 Twins come across to score, pushing the lead to 14-1.
Tigers Unwanted History
According to Detroit News' Chris McCosky on X (formerly Twitter), the 10-run sixth inning was the first time the Tigers have allowed 10 runs in an inning since Aug. 24, 2015, against the Cincinnati Reds; funny enough, also happening in the sixth inning.
For a baseball team that entered the season with high expectations of winning the AL Central for the first time in over a decade, the Tigers have turned into baseball's biggest "what happened" story. Even when they were close to being a .500 baseball team earlier this summer, the reality kicked Detroit in the face.
Although there is still a full month of baseball left in the season, it seems unlikely that Detroit will reach the postseason in 2026 after achieving that goal for the past two seasons. However, this franchise is better than its recent performance suggests, even if they don't demonstrate it consistently.
That's what comes from being a young team. For this group of players, specifically rookies like Kevin McGonigle, Hao-Yu Lee, Max Clark, Ben Malgeri and more, this is the most baseball they've played in a season in their lives. The youth movement is encouraging for the future, but it has its faults, as was apparent on Tuesday in Minnesota.
The pitching staff knows it has to be better, but at the end of the day, this team sold at the trade deadline, and yet still lifted the hopes of the fanbase for another miracle 2024 run with their winning ways in early August. Unfortunately, this is where the Tigers find themselves. This is the team they've become.
There are still ways for Detroit to improve this season, but after back-to-back blowouts, the only way for this roster to build internal confidence is by avoiding another sweep by a divisional opponent on Wednesday night.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.