Fast start could bode well

Tigers fans like to point to Jim Leyland‘s dressing-down of his team in April 2006 as a turning point for the club. And indeed it was.

But if you want to look at when the Tigers started placing distance between themselves and the White Sox (and, of course, forgetting about the last-day collapse against the Royals) and the rest of the division, you need to look at the five weeks or so following the 2006 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.

A year ago today the Tigers won their first game after the All-Star Break beating Kansas City 6-4 at Comerica Park to boost their record to an A. L. Central-leading 60-29. The White Sox were off that day, so with the win the Tigers’ lead over Chicago improved to two-and-a-half games. The Tigers took two of the next three from the Royals and suddenly led the White Sox by four and a half.

Here’s what happened next:

Series Result/Division Lead
Won 2 of 3 vs. Chicago/5.5 games
Won 2 of 3 vs. Oakland/6.5 games
Won 2 of 3 vs. Minnesota/8.5 games
Split with Tampa Bay/8.0 games
Swept Cleveland/9.0 games
Beat Minnesota/10.0 games
(lost next two to Twins)/8.5 games

It’s at that point the Tigers started their time-release capsule approach to frittering away the division.

Still, when you look back at the record, it’s astounding how the Tigers rapidly and methodically took command of the Central over that period of time.

A strong second-half start could have the same impact this year. And let’s hope long as they can hold on and have at least a two-game lead on September 30.