The streak is over!!

I thought 2006 would be the season this happened but I was expecting it along about the middle of September, not on August 27th. Today’s 7-1 win by the Detroit Tigers in Cleveland officially ends an accursed 13 year streak of losing campaigns for the Tigers – they’re now 82-49 with 31 games left on the season. An 85-77 record in 1993 was the last winning mark for the Tigers until this year’s club. The last time the Tigers achieved assuring a winning season in August was their last World Champion team in 1984.

Next on the agenda for the Tigers is getting their first playoff berth since winning the AL East in 1987 and placing the Olde English D back to its rightful place among baseball’s elite teams.

Something else related about quality baseball teams…

This year turnabout didn’t get to be fair play. Last year I went on a roadtrip at the end of the season to First Energy Park, home of the Shorebirds’ SAL rival Lakewood BlueClaws. This was in the midst of the thrilling second half title chase that the Shorebirds won, outlasting the Lexington Legends. With Lakewood out of the race, they simply were playing for pride and in the park was hoisted a sign reading “No Clinching In Our House!” Luckily for us, Delmarva did anyway.

With the BlueClaws coming to town tomorrow to wrap up Delmarva’s home season, there was the possibility of the Phillies affiliate clinching the second half title in front of our faithful. Fortunately, we will not need to borrow Lakewood’s sign from last season as the BlueClaws eliminated the second place Lake County Captains this afternoon by beating them 8-3 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio (a park I visited on my recent vacation.) So congrats to the BlueClaws, who have an overall 80-51 record despite an 0-9 start to the season.

Now it’s time for the Shorebirds to beat up the BlueClaws anyway and finish the home season on a positive note.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.