Tigers Shockingly Struggle With One American League Franchise
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The Detroit Tigers were one of the recent teams in Major League Baseball to go through a true rebuild. They didn't begin to lure true free-agent talent until after their homegrown players were ready to take on the big league stage.
While that method has equated to success last season and this season, to get to this point, they had to go through some rough times. That includes seven straight losing seasons since 2017, highlighted by 2019, when they lost 114 games that season.
Despite that, though, there is one team in particular they can't seem to beat, despite never being one of the best teams in the league: the Athletics.
Kryptonite Green
The Athletics aren't some juggernaut in the MLB. In fact, many franchises aren't afraid of them at all. While they saw success in 2018 and 2019, including back-to-back trips to the playoffs, they haven't amounted to much since then. In fact, the Athletics seem to have been on such a downward trend since then that they don't even have a true home park anymore, as they've set up shop in Sacramento until their stadium in Las Vegas is ready.
Or maybe they do. Maybe Comerica Park is their actual home stadium since the Tigers regretfully have a 13-39 record against them since 2017. The worst part is that they aren't that bad against them, hitting-wise. Of the teams they have played at least 40 times in that time span, they have the second fewest home runs and runs against them, the sixth fewest hits and strikeouts, and the fifth worst average.
The numbers aren't significant, but they're far from their worst statistical matchup. The Tigers have a .250 winning percentage against them, which is only one of two winning percentages below the .300 mark. The other is the Phillies, who have only matched up with them 13 times. The Athletics boast their highest win percentage against any team in the Majors against Detroit.
In the Tigers' defense, they have five wins over their Kelly Green Kryptonite in the past two seasons, and that's 38 percent of their wins over the Athletics since 2017. The Tigers will have no worse than a .500 record against the Athletics this season. It's a good start for Detroit to turn things around against the American League team that has frustrated the Tigers more than any other in the past several years.
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JD Andress is an accomplished sports writer and journalist with extensive experience covering a wide range of collegiate sports. JD has provided in-depth coverage of the TCU Horned Frogs and the Texas Longhorns. He looks forward to being part of the coverage of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. His experience spans various sports, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, rifle, equestrian, and others, reflecting his broad interest and commitment to sports journalism.