There were many great victories for the Tigers this season, but none more valuable than April 20 when Detroit rallied from 3-1 down in the ninth to win at Oakland, 4-3. There might have been other triumphs as valuable, but it’s hard to overlook, in my eyes, the significance of this one.
This was the game that featured Brandon Inge’s 15-pitch AB that resulted in a one-out walk to load the bases, followed by Curtis Granderson’s walk to force home the winner. Leyland called it a “one-and-half Marlboro” AB by Inge.
It was the Tigers’ first come-from-behind win of the season and put their record at 9-7. It came two days after Leyland’s now-famed tirade against the losing culture in Detroit.
Entering the game, the Tigers had lost 7 of 10 after opening the campaign with 5 consecutive victories. The April 20 triumph started Detroit on a 27-7 run.
There’s no way to know what might have happened if the Tigers lost that game. Maybe their slide would have continued, maybe not. But it’s certainly conceivable that this game, on the heels of Leyland’s comments, got the players to believe.
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