2013 Tigers game report #2: vs. Chicago White Sox, 9-20

I'm writing this post on a night where Detroit, playoff-bound already, has its sights on locking up the division crown thanks to a magic number of 1 (DAMN YOU, GIAMBI!).

Last Friday I mentioned I was going to that evening's Tigers/White Sox matchup in Detroit, and though it turned out to be a damp, rainy affair, I had a great time.  Some highlights:

I went with a few co-workers and one who regularly attends games suggested we park in the Ford Field parking deck right next door, which turned out to be a fantastic bit of advice.  We entered near left field, the first time I've done that, and I took advantage by getting shots of the statues in the left-center outfield area:

Willie Horton

Ty Cobb

Hank Greenberg

Charlie Gehringer

Hal Newhouser

Al Kaline

Though we had just a few minutes to get up to our seats way up and behind home plate towards first base, I made sure to snag a quick pic of that evening's starter, Max Scherzer:

Here's a view of the scoreboard, which was almost directly across from my seat.  A few minutes before game time it was cloudy and sprinkling a bit, but the temperature was still pretty nice, all things considered:

Here's Max throwing the game's first pitch, a strike to Chicago leadoff man Alejandro De Aza:

The Sox would strike first with a run that inning, but the Tigers' bats were roaring in response.  Here's one of several instances where Detroit had ducks on the pond:

As I said I had a nice view from my seats, and I believe this was also my first Comerica Park night game, so I got a few shots of the skyline, including this one, in which you can see some of the rain that was steadily falling the entire game: 

One reason I tried to attend this game was its "Wolverines in the D" promotion, which I believe was partly to raise money for a charity or cause.  I missed it but a couple former Wolverine cagers threw out the first pitch, then I did catch the UM men's glee club singing the national anthem.  I mention all that because one of the items that flashed across the changing GM Building's sign was the Michigan logo:

He wasn't with the Tigers when I went to a game earlier this year, but I did get to see Nick Castellanos pinch hit for Victor Martinez later in the game.  He went 0-1, but I look forward to seeing him in-person even more next year.

The rain was constant in terms of presence, and variable in terms of intensity.  Though there wasn't much of a real threat of the game being delayed or called, I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when the game became official.  Lots of people left in the early innings, and the stadium felt almost empty towards the end.  I don't remember what inning it was when I took this, but it got even emptier, to give you an idea:

With the blowout on, Detroit went with Luke Putkonen for the last three outs.  I believe this is the final batter of the game, which would have been Alexei Ramirez.  The crowd that remained made a good deal of noise in anticipation of the history we would soon be part of:

Maxwell's silver banner!  Max was quality again, going six innings while allowing three runs on six hits, a walk, and one home run; he struck out three.  Former Tiger Avasail "Mini Miggy" Garcia did the most damage with a fourth inning two-run shot, but thanks to the Tigers' 12 runs, the game wasn't in doubt for long.  What an accomplishment for Scherzer, who's simply taken his game to a new level this year and stepped up to fill in the void left by Verlander's off year.

While player-of-the-game Torii Hunter (4-5, 3 RBI and 2 runs) was interviewed, the grounds crew hustled to get the tarp on the field, and we got outta dodge, fortunately without a ton of traffic to deal with!

Once again I had a blast, and I'm happy to say I went two-for-two at regular season games this year.  I may even have a chance to attend at least one playoff game, so if I do, watch for news and a recap here!