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Throwback Thursday “The Detroit Tigers march to the World Series” (video)

By Gwen De Young

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When I was sitting and thinking of new story ideas for the week, I decided I wanted to do some interesting history things because Detroit sports history is amazing in many ways. However, I’ve only been on this planet for 21 years and started to really watch Detroit sports when I was 13. So while I have seen some pretty awesome things, such as a Stanley Cup win, a NBA Championship and the Detroit Lions, well at least try. I still haven’t seen a ton.

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So coming up with a “throwback Thursday” idea seemed a little hard because those two championships which while amazing, I wasn’t as invested in them as my final choice; the Detroit Tigers 2006 World Series run. While in the end they didn’t end up winning it all, it cemented me into loving the Detroit Tigers and not succumbing to being a fan of another team.

Before the 2006 season I remember watching games every now and then. I always heard my dad talk about the team in usually not the nicest way. I also remember him telling me about teams from the 80’s that were amazing and that is basically how I came to love baseball.

When the 2006 season started I watched the team as much as I could. I fell in love with players such as Brandon Inge, Pudge Rodriguez and Justin Verlander. I saw Carlos Guillen hit for the cycle, I saw great comeback wins by the team, and I got to see three of my teams players in the 2006 All Star Game.

When the regular season was coming to an end, the Tigers ended the season on a four game losing streak, which while wasn’t the best thing to watch, I was told, “hey it is okay, they made it to the postseason and that is what matters in the end”. So I kept my head up as the Tigers headed into the first round against the New York Yankees.

Then in the first game of the series they lost 8-4 and I thought this can’t be good for the Tigers and that the Yankees were just going to sweep them. Yet, after that loss, something clicked for the Detroit Tigers and they went on to win 6 straight games before one of the best moments in Tigers history for myself happened.

Watching this video gives me goosebumps anytime I watch it. My Detroit Tigers had swept the Oakland Athletics and were heading to the World Series for the first time since the 1984 season. As the young fan I was at the time, I was super excited. I wore Tigers gear every day that I went to school, I would find some way to include the Detroit Tigers in my school work. I talked to anyone who would listen to me tell them about the team and how amazing they were.

While they ended up losing the series 4-1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, it was still one of the highlights of my fairly young sports life. I fell in love with the Detroit Tigers that 2006 season, and even though they had lost they were still my team. The 2006 team also brought spirit back to the city of Detroit, fans were excited for this team and what their future held.

These past 9 years rooting for the Tigers, while sometimes difficult, has been special. I can say I watched a player on my team throw two no-hitters, players win countless awards. Most of all I saw one of my Detroit Tigers win a Triple Crown, which I honestly never thought I would see. Tigers baseball has made my life better and it was all thanks to that 2006 season when the Tigers marched to the World Series.

What do you guys remember from the 2006 season? Let us know below.

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