Detroit Tigers Tickets

When traveling into Detroit from Michigan 10 (Lodge Freeway), take the Grand River Ave. exit. Travel east on Grand River Avenue to the I-75 service drive and turn left (east). The service drive intersects Woodward Avenue just north of Comerica Park.

Getting out of the gutter was the easy part. The Tigers inevitably were going to improve off their 119-loss season in 2003, and they did that by winning 72 games in 2004. But they still haven't found the key to going from mediocre to good, winning 71 games in 2005 with a team that took at least one step back for every one forward. A 12th straight losing season cost manager Alan Trammell his job.
Detroit brought in Magglio Ordonez and Troy Percival as free agents before the 2005 season, but neither was able to contribute much because of illness and injuries. The big acquisition of the previous offseason, catcher Ivan Rodriguez, hit .276 and looked like a shell of his former self. The team's best hitter was acquired in a desperation move after reliever Ugueth Urbina got into a fight with teammates and had to be dealt. He went to Philadelphia in a midseason deal for Placido Polanco, who hit .338 and would have won the American League batting title if he had enough at-bats to qualify.
The Tigers have the makings of an intriguing young pitching staff if their prospects develop as hoped. Jeremy Bonderman, who played the whole season at 22, tied with Mike Maroth for the team lead with 14 wins. He probably would have won more but was hit on the right wrist by a line drive in August and made just two September starts. Top prospect Justin Verlander, a 2004 first-round pick, made two big league starts and should join the rotation in 2006.
The Tigers brought Jim Leyland in as manager to try to restore credibility in the dugout, though Leyland admitted he knew little about the team he was inheriting. That's probably for the best.