Detroit Tigers Memories: Cespedes & Mets Bring Pain

It hurts to watch playoff baseball. As I’m painfully enjoying the quality baseball being played in October, all I can think about is my beloved Detroit Tigers. I remember 2014, when the Tigers owned the Royals outscoring them 100 runs to 66, but Detroit could not get out of the first round. We all know how that ended. Now, the Royals are attempting to finish what they started, while the Tigers are off the grid in Venezuela, Arizona, and other parts unknown. 

My pain with young pitching is caused by the lack of it in Detroit.

There are two things slightly more painful than watching the Royals fighting their way to the Commissioner’s Trophy. One is watching Yoenis Cespedes and the other the young Mets pitchers. Even though I am a lifelong Tigers fan, I do appreciate the skills of players on other teams. I enjoyed watching Cespedes when he was with Oakland and during his short stint with Boston. When he became a Tiger in 2015, I thought there was no way the Tigers could be anywhere but first place. (Boy, was I wrong). Now, I get to fantasize about what could have been and ponder what could be.

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Maybe, Al Avila will be kind to fans like me and put Yoenis back on the roster. The Tigers do still need a solid left fielder and Yo’s bat would certainly be welcome in the D. Bringing him back would fill more seats at Comerica simply because Yo delivers so much entertainment. 

My pain with young pitching is caused by the lack of it in Detroit. The young Mets pitchers are a true joy to watch; however, they make me wonder what went wrong with the Tigers and their young pitchers. From Ian Krol, Robbie Ray, Shane Greene, and Bruce Rondon, the young pitchers Dombrowski added in the past couple of years did not pan out quite as well as the young Mets have. What I wouldn’t do to see any combination of deGrom, Syndergaard, Matz, and Familia wearing Detroit blue and orange instead of Mets version of our classic colors. Sadly, all four of them are nowhere near free agency and their miniscule salaries will most likely keep them in New York for a few more years.

Even though I do experience a bit of a heartbreak with each game, I will continue to watch and dream of better days to come for my favorite team.