the after 40 games....

[tigers527]

So on the TV they stated that the Tigers have only had this good of a start 5 times after 40 games. I was curious enough to plod through the schedules trying to find those seasons....here's what I came up with.

1984 record 35-5 final 104-58 (best in AL, and MLB) Won WS
1911 record 30-10 final 89-65 (13.5 G back Philly As, 2nd in AL, 4th in MLB)
1950 record 27-12-1 final 95-59-3 (3 G back Yankees, 2nd in AL, 2nd in MLB)
2006 record 27-13....to be determined*
1961 record 27-13 final 101-61 (8 G back Yankees, 2nd in AL, 2nd in MLB)

Missed it by that much (in my best Don Adams)

1909 record 26-13-1 final 98-54-6 (best in AL, 3rd best in MLB) Lost WS
1967 record 26-14 final 91-71 (1 G back Boston, tied 2nd in AL, tied 3way 3rd MLB)

* I was surprised to find only 1 WS winner in this group of hot start Tigers. However, all the teams finished respectable enough to get that wild card birth? Depending on how they would have worked that out with only 1 division back then. Maybe a 1 game playoff with the Twins in 1967? Either way this bodes well for these current Tigers. As a second in the AL gets you into the playoffs today....:D GO TIGERS :D

[riverfrontier]

Noting that all those teams, save 1911, won at least 90 games bodes well for the eventual outcome of this year's team. On an even brighter note (jumps and clicks heels) FOUR-GAME SERIES WITH THE ROYALS!

[tigers527]

Looking through all those records I did notice one thing I never really looked at before. Ty Cobb often gets much blame for the lack of WS wins through his early years. People often give the old he's been to 3 in a row and couldn't bring one home. To be fair those teams were very outgunned at least by record. In 1909 the Tigers were 12 back of the Pirates (actually 5.5 behind the Cubs as well). In 1908 the Tigers were 9 back of the Cubs (behind both the Giants and Pirates as well). In 1907 the Tigers were 15 games behind the Cubs.

Now, I know maybe they should of went 1988 Dodgers once in those three, but it is asking alot.

[Whitesoxnut]

You have an 11 game stretch coming up against the Yanks, RedSox, and the WhiteSox. That is going to tell you a lot about the Tigers. They are a very good baseball team but mostly they have won against weak teams so far. Still, that is what you have to do. The Tigers are pitching fantastic this year and are a legitimate playoff contender.

[Cubsfan97]

Has any other team started better than 35-5? That is unbelieveable.

[riverfrontier]

No team has had a better start. The 1984 team came down from Mt. Olympus, went back up during the off-season, and returned at the start of '85 as mortals. In a few centuries popular athletic footwear is sure to be named after many an '84 Tiger, but the Tom Brookens model will most definitely be a flip-flop.

[Captain Cold Nose]

You have an 11 game stretch coming up against the Yanks, RedSox, and the WhiteSox. That is going to tell you a lot about the Tigers. They are a very good baseball team but mostly they have won against weak teams so far. Still, that is what you have to do. The Tigers are pitching fantastic this year and are a legitimate playoff contender.
That is very true, with the Chisox being the most important test. Showing they can compete with the defending division champ, the team they'll see most often of the three, will prove if this team is for real or not

[ugolini78]

So on the TV they stated that the Tigers have only had this good of a start 5 times after 40 games. I was curious enough to plod through the schedules trying to find those seasons....here's what I came up with.

1984 record 35-5 final 104-58 (best in AL, and MLB) Won WS
1911 record 30-10 final 89-65 (13.5 G back Philly As, 2nd in AL, 4th in MLB)
1950 record 27-12-1 final 95-59-3 (3 G back Yankees, 2nd in AL, 2nd in MLB)
2006 record 27-13....to be determined*
1961 record 27-13 final 101-61 (8 G back Yankees, 2nd in AL, 2nd in MLB)

Missed it by that much (in my best Don Adams)

1909 record 26-13-1 final 98-54-6 (best in AL, 3rd best in MLB) Lost WS
1967 record 26-14 final 91-71 (1 G back Boston, tied 2nd in AL, tied 3way 3rd MLB)

* I was surprised to find only 1 WS winner in this group of hot start Tigers. However, all the teams finished respectable enough to get that wild card birth? Depending on how they would have worked that out with only 1 division back then. Maybe a 1 game playoff with the Twins in 1967? Either way this bodes well for these current Tigers. As a second in the AL gets you into the playoffs today....:D GO TIGERS :D

Why are you surprised they have only won four WS in over 100 yrs.

[Saltire]

I, for one, am just sitting back and enjoying what the Tigers are doing at the moment! :crazy I grew up in Detroit during the 60s and early 70s, when the Tigers were perennial contenders. Apart from a couple years in the mid '70s, the team were always considered to be in the upper echelon, until the bottom fell out in '89.

The consistant futility since then has left our beloved franchise as nothing more than comic fodder for late-night chat show hosts. Now - finally - it looks like we not only have a pretty good looking team at the moment, but also one which augers well for the future thanks to some great young arms. Let's hope that Cameron Maybin develops into the offensive player everyone thinks he will, and with a few smart FA moves here or there perhaps we might taste a little success over the next few years!

In the meantime, can they keep up the current pace? I think it's going to take 94-96 wins to secure the AL wild card this year. My heart says PLEASE, my head says probably not, but if the pitching doesn't implode, and Leyland starts giving DH ABs to Thames instead of Young, who knows? Maybe we'll continue to surprise people!

(First post......Hi! :waving )

[Captain Cold Nose]

Why are you surprised they have only won four WS in over 100 yrs.
He didn't say that. Do you have a point or are you just here to talk trash, which, by the way, won't last.

[moldyoldie]

I'm not getting too hyped up just yet; this Central Division reminds me too much of the Red Wings always playing the likes of Columbus, Nashville, Chicago, and St. Louis. I don't like the scheduling. I mean c'mon, nine shutouts already?!?:noidea

It's just great seeing us "gettin' it done" for a change. :dance

[racosun]

I've tried to temper my excitement for these Tigers, but find that I cannot. I'm glued to pretty much every TV game, and I'm always checking the score on the 'net when they're not on the tube. I think they could lose 13 of the next 15 and I'd still have to consider them a contender. They're stomping on the teams that they should be beating, and they've made Cleveland (a contender in everybody's book) look like at best a third-place team. I think that one hiccup against the Sox is keeping everybody wary of calling this team good. They didnt' blow us out, I'm guessing it was some nerves. We'll beat 'em down good next time, watch. Even Inge is getting national praise.