Detroit Tigers: The Franchise All-Time Bracket
No. 1 vs. 8 seed
The 1984 Tiger team was one of the dominant ballclubs of any era. Winning 35 of its first 40 games, Sparky Anderson’s club laughed to the AL East title by 15 games over Toronto, brushed aside the Kansas City Royals in three games in the ALCS, then finished off the National League champion San Diego Padres in five World Series games.
The Tigers’ secret was pitching. The 3.49 team ERA easily led the American League. Jack Morris and Dan Petry combined for 37 wins, and closer Willie Hernandez won both the Cy Young and MVP with 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA I 80 appearances totaling 140 innings.
Offensively, the Tigers had Trammell (.314) at short and Kirk Gibson (91 RBIs, 29 steals) providing a rare combination of power and speed.
The 2011 Tigers won 95 regular-season games and beat New York in a division series but lost a tough ALCS in six games to Texas. Cabrera, Verlander, and pitcher Max Scherzer were the stars. Verlander and Scherzer combined for 39 wins in 67 starts encompassing 446 innings. Jose Valverde saved 49 games.
Cabrera was the scourge of the American League, presaging his 2012 triple crown season with 30 homers, 105 RBIs and a .344 average, good for the firsts of four batting titles in five seasons. DH Victor Martinez added a .330 average and 103 RBIs.
Game 1: The 1984 team’s .642 regular-season winning percentage – built on a 104-58 record – is among the best of the last 50 years. The 2011 team went 95-67 .586.
Game 2: The 1984 Tigers showed their true class in post-season, winning seven of eight games and allowing just 19 runs in the process. The 201`1 club went 5-6 .455 in post-season.
Game 3: The deep and balanced 1984 Tigers produced a 114 team OPS+. Even with Cabrera sitting at 179, the 2011 team could do no better than 109.
Game 4: Morris, Petry, and Hernandez led the 1994 Tigers to a staff ERA+ of 113. The 2011 club’s staff ERA+ was 103.
Result: 1984 in four straight