It's post-mortem time for the 2013 Tigers, and Bob Wojnowksi dissects a fatal condition in Paragraph One:
When that bullpen door opened, no one was ever sure what would emerge.
The Detroit News columnist looks back at other weaknesses contributing to Saturday night's 5-2 loss that ended Detroit's season at Fenway Park, such as "that blown opportunity in the sixth, when Fielder was tagged out between third and home."
He inexplicably stopped running on a ground ball, allowing Dustin Pedroia to start a double play. It was a perfectly awful way to end a frustrating series for Fielder.
Max Scherzer leaves Saturday's game in the seventh inning. (AP photo/Charles Krupa)
Then, an inning later. "Jose Iglesias booted a grounder that could’ve produced a double play, and instead left the bases loaded," Wojo writes.
Reaching beyond the season's final nine innings, he ticks off these if only lamentations:
- "It was too bad Miguel Cabrera couldn’t shake a groin pull that sapped his power."
- "It was really too bad Prince Fielder couldn’t shake the pressure and deliver a run-scoring hit."
- "They left guys on base and got guys picked off."
- "They led the majors in batting average but not in runs, which spoke to their slow-footedness."
In his Free Press eulogy, Mitch Albom cites another painful moment Saturday -- "Austin Jackson being picked off of first base after finally making a habit of reaching it" -- and sums up:
The last two games of this series were a primer in what not to do when hitting, fielding or running. . . .
The Tigers had an amazing team on paper, but too many times during the season they seemed to underachieve.
