The impossible is possible
DETROIT — All year long, Jim Leyland kept telling his Detroit Tigers to believe they were winners, even if no one else did.
And now it's come to something that would've been impossible to believe in spring training: The Tigers, the losingest team in the majors over the last 13 years, are one win away from the World Series.
Kenny Rogers pitched the game of his life for the second straight week and the Tigers backed him with their bats, gloves and legs, beating the Oakland Athletics 3-0 on a frosty Friday for a 3-0 lead in the AL championship series.
A victory Saturday and the Tigers can sit back, enjoy the week and wait for the World Series to come to Comerica Park.
"That's our goal. That's what we play for," Rogers said. "I can't say enough for the way the guys played behind me."
Pushing aside two decades of frustration and failure, plus a late-season collapse that threatened to wreck their year, the wild-card Tigers made it look easy — just like the 1984 club that stormed to the title.
Long gone was the embarrassment of 2003, when Detroit dropped 119 games.
"With what we've done now, it feels like that season has finally been wiped off the map," third baseman Brandon Inge said.
Leyland made another lineup hunch pay off in Game 3 as the team that started the year with five straight victories posted its sixth playoff win in a row.
The Athletics sense they're up against something special, too.
"We're running into a better team, and they're knocking down everybody in their path," third baseman Eric Chavez said. "It's not frustrating, they're better than we are."
Added slugger Frank Thomas: "That's a whole new team over there right now. That's not the team I've been battling for years."
Putting aside temperatures in the low 40s that forced both teams to put flame-throwing blowers in their dugouts, Rogers shut out the Athletics 7Z\c innings.
He drew a thunderous ovation when he left and took off his cap, waved it to the crowd and then spun around for all to see. The fans also got into the act, twirling white towels.
"You could really see the emotion building late in the game," Tigers leadoff man Curtis Granderson said.
Craig Monroe homered, Placido Polanco delivered two more hits off losing pitcher Rich Harden and Tigers closer Todd Jones finished for his second save of the series.
Inge plunged into the stands to catch a foul pop for the first out of the game and the Tigers led 2-0 after the first inning.
At this rate, nothing seems able to stop them. Want evidence? Leyland pulled Game 2 star Alexis Gomez, put Omar Infante into his first postseason game and the DH made his manager look good with a single, walk and stolen base.
"I think it's a matter of having confidence in all your players," Leyland said. "And I think there's a little luck that goes along with it."
