Another awful Joey Cora send vs. Yankees emphasizes underrated Tigers concern

The Tigers took a few years to figure out their identity in the AJ Hinch era, but 2024 was undeniably the season when it all came together.

"Opportunistic" might be the best word to describe the Gritty Tigs in the second half that year. From Hinch's managerial decisions, to players capitalizing on their opponents' mistakes, to taking extra bases as often as possible — the Tigers managed to do a lot with an imperfect roster just by taking every extra inch.

Smart baserunning is paramount to the way the Tigers play baseball. Toward the end of the 2025 regular season, the Tigers were MLB's leaders in extra bases taken (XBT) at 54%.

Third base coach Joey Cora has been the key driver. Riley Greene recalled a stern talking-to Cora gave his players in August 2024, right before the Tigers got hot: "I can't say the exact words he said. [...] Something along the lines of 'Just go.' So we just started going."

Although the Tigers are looking far better in June than they did in May, there's still a sense that they're not fully themselves right now. It might not be the full-blown identity crisis it was last month, but they're clearly still working through some things.

Cora has been on the hot seat with fans as of late — and even more so after an ill-advised send of Greene on Tuesday against the Yankees.

Third base coach Joey Cora is catching heat after string of Tigers baserunning gaffes

With Greene on second and two outs in the fourth, Hao-Yu Lee knocked a base hit into left. Cody Bellinger played it on one hop, and the ball was in his glove before Greene had even made it to third base. Cora windmilled his arms anyway, Greene chugged home, Bellinger sent the ball to the plate, and Greene was out by a mile.

Greene has always had pretty decent speed, but Bellinger has a great arm. Some fans might think that neither of those things even matter, as Cora had no business sending Greene based on a hit that shallow anyway.

This is not an isolated incident, and it's not all on Cora either. The Tigers have just, undeniably and somewhat inexplicably, become one of the worst baserunning teams in the game.

The Tigers' offense might be clicking a little better and the bullpen not blowing as many games, but they're still struggling to get back to seeming like they're fully themselves, and shoddy baserunning might be the key.

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