Detroit Tigers: Dombrowski, Dombrowski & Dombrowski

Did the Detroit Tigers play a game on Tuesday?

They did. They lost, 5-1, to the hated Kansas City Royals. Right-hander Justin Verlander had another subpar outing, allowing five runs in seven innings.

But no one cares. Not immediately anyway because all any Tigers fan wants to talk about is the firing of General Manager Dave Dombrowski.

He was “relieved” of his duties on Tuesday afternoon, which was just a mere few days after conducting three big trades to build the franchise’s future.

More from Motor City Bengals

• Detroit Tigers: Victor Reyes finding ways to get the job done
• The Detroit Tigers must cut their losses and release Jonathan Schoop
• Detroit Tigers: Garrett Hill’s new role and changed delivery are excellent
• Detroit Tigers: Joe Jiménez has rebounded in 2022
• Detroit Tigers: Is it finally time to move the fences in at Comerica Park?

Let’s take a look at what the Detroit press is saying about Dombrowski’s firing and his replacement: Al Avila.

Tigers’ Dombrowski firing a risky gambit – Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News

The Tigers’ week of upheaval culminated in stunning intrigue, with another key piece departing, surely to resurface somewhere else. President and GM Dave Dombrowski was dismissed by owner Mike Ilitch Tuesday, and while the outcome wasn’t a shock, the timing was, stirring all sorts of unsettling questions.Dombrowski was in the final year of his contract but had just orchestrated three trades that sent big names away, and now he’s on his way too. His longtime right-hand man, Al Avila, takes over, so this isn’t exactly the dawn of a new direction. If Ilitch was simply angered by this season’s failures, or by Dombrowski’s moves, it’s unlikely he would’ve put Avila in charge.

We wonder why Dombrowski’s now done with Tigers – Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

“I don’t know the how, the why, Mr. Ilitch made the decision,” Avila told the media Tuesday, saying that Saturday afternoon he got the call and the promotion, but was told to keep it quiet. “It’s really a question more for him.”Don’t hold your breath on an answer. Whatever took place, it created one of the more stunning announcements in recent Tigers history — if only for the timing. Dombrowski had just traded two Tigers stars, David Price and Yoenis Cespedes, plus his closer, Joakim Soria, all for young prospects. The Tigers essentially tossed in the towel on winning it all this season. Did that tick off his boss so much that it got Dombrowski fired?Not according to Avila, who had been Dombrowski’s right-hand man.

Al Avila speaks clearly, but Detroit Tigers’ message muddle by lack of ownership voice – Chris Iott, MLive.com

Compared to Dombrowski, Avila is an open book. Dombrowski is very measured in his words. He rarely answers questions that were not directly asked. He would go into detail sometimes, but often only about the exact situation as it stood today with several qualifiers inserted to remind the baseball world that things can and do change in a hurry.On Tuesday, Avila answered some questions very directly after being introduced as the new general manager.On the approach to next season, Avila pointed out that this one is not finished yet.

Next: Detroit Tigers 'Firing' of Dave Dombrowski Not a Surprise