AJ Hinch quote about Tigers aged like fine wine with Red Sox, Alex Bregman in town

In September 2021, the last month of his first season as the Tigers' manager, AJ Hinch said of the possibility of greater offseason spending, "If the Tigers' organization does a really good job, we're going to re-establish ourselves as a winning franchise and develop a winning culture. If you want to be a part of it, then you'll come. If you don't, then we'll beat you."

There was a world in which that quote could've aged very badly. That same offseason, the Tigers did spend a lot of money, but they gave it to one Javier Báez. Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter all debuted in 2022, but the team finished under .400. The Tigers were still rebuilding, but that didn't change the fact that they were also playing bad baseball.

Detroit is telling a very different story in 2025. Greene, Torkelson, and Carpenter are leading the Tigers in home runs. Báez is kind of good now (?). Tarik Skubal is unstoppable. The Tigers have the best record in the American League by a 2.5-game margin.

And they're doing all of it without Alex Bregman, who rolled into town with the Red Sox for the first time since spurning the Tigers' seven year, $171.5 million offer this offseason. He only got three plate appearances (lined out then walked twice) before Alex Cora pulled him in the face of an all-out onslaught from the Tigers.

AJ Hinch's run-through-a-wall-worthy quote about Tigers is even sweeter after trouncing Red Sox, Alex Bregman

To no one's surprise, Bregman was booed mightily whenever he stepped up to the plate, and Comerica roared when he lined out in his first at-bat against Jackson Jobe.

There are a lot of highlights from Detroit's 14-2 rout, but their nine-run rally in the bottom of the third was something to behold. Tanner Houck loaded the bases on a Carpenter leadoff double and then two walks. Carpenter then came around to score on a wild pitch. Greene followed with an honest to goodness, bases-clearing, little league homer after Wilyer Abreu let a ball roll right by him and all the way to the right field wall.

The Tigers tacked on their 12th run of the night in the bottom of the fourth while the Red Sox remained scoreless with Jackson Jobe on the mound, and it forced Cora to pull two of his biggest stars, Bregman and Jarren Duran. Everyone knew there was no coming back for the Red Sox.

Bregman didn't want to be a part of it, so he didn't come. And then the Tigers beat him.