Detroit, MI

If the Detroit Tigers make the playoffs, this is the night we’ll remember

Published

1 year ago

September 17, 2024

If the Detroit Tigers make the playoffs, this is the night we’ll remember

DETROIT – If the Detroit Tigers somehow make the playoffs this season, Monday is the night we’ll all remember.

Jason Benetti and Andy Dirks said it several times throughout the telecast on Bally Sports Detroit: It felt like a playoff atmosphere inside Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

That sentence would have sounded absurd on Aug. 22 — less than a month ago! — when the Tigers had a losing record and sat 9.5 games out of the final wild card spot.

They had just traded away Jack Flaherty and a few other contributors. Reese Olson and Casey Mize were injured. Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene had just returned from long absences.

Nobody at that moment considered that the Tigers might matter by mid-September — not even the Tigers themselves.

But somehow, some way, here we are.

The Tigers went into Monday night trailing the Twins by 2.5 games. But by 8:30 p.m., it looked like this magical run might finally come to an end.

With the Twins leading the Guardians 3-0 in the middle innings, Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. hit a grand slam off of Olson that put the Tigers in a 4-0 hole.

It sure looked like the Tigers would fall 3.5 games behind the Twins, which would all but extinguish their flickering playoff hopes (especially since they don’t hold the tiebreaker).

But this younger version of the Tigers is never dead. After falling behind 5-1 in the fourth, a Colt Keith homer brought them within a run in the fifth. The Royals scored again in the bottom half, but the Tigers came through with three more in the sixth to take their first lead.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 16: Colt Keith #33 of the Detroit Tigers rounds the bases on his two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 16, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) (2024 Getty Images)

“The Tigers lead, and just as that happened, Cleveland beat Minnesota, 4-3,” Benetti roared on Bally. “The Tigers lead 7-6. Minnesota has lost tonight, and who knows what our next two weeks are going to be like.”

Suddenly, instead of 3.5 back, the Tigers pulled within 1.5 games of a playoff spot. That’s closer than they were to sixth place in the wild card standings on Aug. 22.

Detroit hasn’t been within two games of a playoff spot in the second half since its last winning season in 2016. Even throughout the past four weeks, the Tigers have mostly hovered in the range of three games behind the Twins.

But on Monday, in the matter of about an hour, the Tigers went from the brink of unofficial elimination to the best spot they’ve been in in eight years.

if they cap off this improbable run by sneaking into the postseason, this is the night we’ll remember.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions running backs open up about life on and off the field

Published

3 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Lions running backs open up about life on and off the field

Detroit Lions fans get to sit back and watch running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery put on stellar performances to help lead the team’s offense. What fans don’t often see are the bonds and dynamics that hold the backfield group together. CBS News Detroit’s Rachel Hopmayer hung out with the group at Bronx Bar to shoot the breeze and play some pool.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Fire Department brings Christmas joy to family who lost everything in house fire

Published

16 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Fire Department brings Christmas joy to family who lost everything in house fire

DETROIT (WXYZ) — Christmas came early for a Detroit family of 10 after the Detroit Fire Department surprised them with a truck full of gifts, nearly a year after they lost their home and all belongings in a devastating fire.

On Jan. 6, Raychelle Womack and her family were living in their home on Santa Rosa Drive near Fullerton Street when it caught fire. All their possessions were destroyed in the blaze.

Watch Demetrios Sanders’ video report below:

Family’s Christmas saved after fire

“You try buying everything for a new baby and then you lose it all, on top of the other seven kids that you’ve got — that’s everything,” Womack said.

As the family continued recovering from the fire, questions remained about what Christmas could look like this year.

“Whatever we could make happen, that’s what we’re going to make happen,” Womack said.

WXYZ

That worry disappeared when the Detroit Fire Department and community partners visited the family’s new east side home with a truck full of Christmas gifts.

“To lose everything and then slowly but surely gain everything, it means a lot,” Womack said.

This marks the fourth year the Detroit Fire Department has brought Christmas cheer to families in need during the holidays.

“We know people lose everything in these fires, so if we can do anything to make their lives better, to make their lives easier, especially around the holiday season, we’re willing to do it,” said Chuck Simms, executive fire commissioner with the Detroit Fire Department.

Simms said the effort is driven by donations and brings joy not only to the families impacted but also to the first responders who participate.

“It’s just a great thing and nice thing for us to do,” Simms said.

With a Christmas tree now surrounded by gifts, Womack’s children are definitely looking forward to Christmas.

“It was nice and we appreciate it,” one child said.

For Womack, only one challenge remains.

“Now it’s making sure everything (gifts) stays closed until Christmas,” Womack said.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Detroit, MI

Near 500 saves, Kenley Jansen joins Detroit Tigers without closer role

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Near 500 saves, Kenley Jansen joins Detroit Tigers without closer role

Kenley Jansen is destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The 38-year-old right-handed reliever is fourth on the all-time saves list, first on the active saves leaderboard, 24 saves away from the 500 milestone and just signed a one-year contract that guarantees $11 million.

But he hasn’t received the closer role from the Detroit Tigers for the 2026 season.

“Will we label Kenley the closer?” Tigers president baseball operations Scott Harris said Wednesday, Dec. 17, deferring to manager A.J. Hinch. “I don’t know. That’s going to be for A.J. to figure out. I’m just going to try to give him as many options as possible.”

Entering 2026, Jansen – a four-time All-Star in his 16-year MLB career – trails only three relievers on the saves list, all three of which are Hall of Famers: Lee Smith (478), Trevor Hoffman (601) and Mariano Rivera (652).

Before signing Jansen, the Tigers connected him with Hinch for an important phone call. For context, Hinch hasn’t named a full-time closer since left-hander Gregory Soto in 2021-22, instead favoring a bullpen that operates without defined roles.

Early signs suggest Jansen has already embraced the Tigers’ approach.

“From that conversation, we learned Kenley is all about winning,” Harris said of Jansen, who won the 2020 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. “He’s willing to pitch in any spot. He just wants to be in a winning environment. And he was really attracted to Detroit as a destination, which is a huge step forward for this organization.”

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With three more saves, Jansen will move into sole possession of third place.

He has secured at least four saves in each of his 16 seasons, along with 25 or more saves in each of the past 13 full seasons, not counting the coronavirus pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

“We liked a lot of things,” Harris said. “First of all, he’s one of the best to ever do it. I’ve admired him from afar – and up close for a few years. He brings a ton of success in the highest-leverage moments of games in the regular season and postseason.”

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

In 2025, Jansen registered a 2.59 ERA with 19 walks and 57 strikeouts across 59 innings in 62 games for the Los Angeles Angels, racking up 29 saves in 30 opportunities.

His 8.1% walk rate ranked in the 46th percentile, while his 24.4% strikeout rate ranked in the 63rd percentile.

Many indicators foreshadow regression coming soon – most notably the lowest strikeout rate of his career, driven by his third-worst in-zone whiff rate and worst out-of-zone whiff rate over the past four seasons – but the Tigers believe in their future Hall of Fame reliever.

“The cutter still really plays,” Harris said. “He also has a two-seamer that misses bats, as well as a curveball. We think he’s going to miss plenty of bats for us. We think there are some things that we can do with sequencing and refining some of the shapes of his mix.”

The Tigers have pursued Jansen several times.

There was interest during the 2024-25 offseason, when he ultimately signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Angels, then at the 2025 trade deadline, when the Angels opted not to move him, and once again in the 2025-26 offseason, when the Tigers finally signed him to a one-year, $9 million contract, which includes a $12 million club option for 2027 (with a $2 million buyout).

“I’ve admired him from afar and up close,” Harris said.

With Jansen, the Tigers now feel confident using four relievers in save situations. The other three: right-hander Kyle Finnegan, right-hander Will Vest and left-hander Tyler Holton.

Of those four relievers, three of them produced more than 20 saves during the 2025 season, led by Jansen’s 29 and followed by Finnegan’s 24 and Vest’s 23.

“I think it was really important for us to add to the bullpen and be able to protect the leads that we know we’re going to get,” said Harris, who re-signed Finnegan on a two-year, $19 million contract earlier this month. “Whether we can find other opportunities to make our bullpen better, I’m not quite sure yet, but I like the bullpen as it is right now.”

For Jansen, his sights are set on reaching 500 saves.

It’s likely to happen in 2026.

But Jansen isn’t the Tigers’ closer.

Not yet.

“It’s going to be A.J.’s call on that,” Harris said.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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