AJ Hinch responds to Tigers fans' overreactions to shrinking AL lead with grace

The Tigers' ugly, month-long stretch from July to August had fans (including us) in a fatalistic spiral. In 25 games from the end of their series against the Rays on July 9 through their loss to the Angels on Aug. 9, Detroit went 8-17, and what was once a 15.5-game lead over the Guardians shrunk down to five.

As overdramatic as it might seem now, after the Tigers have won nine of their last 11 games since Aug. 9 and their division lead has grown back to 9.5 — this time over the Royals — who could blame us? The Tigers were one of the worst teams not only in the AL Central but in baseball as a whole for so long. It took national media outlets months to finally get on board with the idea that what the Tigers did in the first half was real. The organization and fans alike have chips on their shoulders.

If the Tigers have anyone to worry about now, it's the Royals, and there's really no reason to be concerned about them either. The goal for the rest of the season should be to maintain their AL-best record and head into the postseason with a bye.

AJ Hinch had a graceful response when asked how he felt about fans' fears that the Tigers' divisional lead would slip away from them. He said, "I think we should just thank them for being passionate enough to care."

AJ Hinch thanked Tigers fans for "being passionate enough to care" after panic about slipping AL Central lead

Hinch has been at the forefront of fan appreciation this season. Fans have been crowding Comerica Park even for regular season games and are on their way to setting new attendance records.

After Tarik Skubal's start against the Astros, Hinch said, "We've talked over and over about how fun this place is to come to work. The fans respond. I know they're riding this season out with us. This team represents what the fans want and what they deserve, and they're showing up. [...] Our guys talk about it. Other teams talk about it. This is a special place to play."

Tigers fans may never completely settle in despite the fact that the Tigers have a nearly 10-game lead once again, but it's a lot better than complacency. Fans are going to white-knuckle the season until the very end, but it'll make every victory that much sweeter.