The wounds from a 119-loss season three years ago still linger, even as Detroit needs only two more victories to earn its first World Series appearance in 22 years.
“I try not to dwell too much on the past, but it took a lot of misery,” said left-hander Jamie Walker, one of ten players left from one of the worst teams in modern baseball history.
“It seems like a long time ago now,” left fielder Craig Monroe said while shaking his head.
“Every game, we [stunk],” pitcher Jeremy Bonderman said.
Of all the low points that season, the lowest might have been before a June 29 interleague game against Arizona at Comerica Park.
Sunny skies and comfortable humidity provided the perfect stage for a spring-training workout, which is essentially what former manager Alan Trammell conducted three hours before the game–hitting the cutoff man, fielding drills, backing up bases, rundowns.
“I remember it, but I wasn’t out there watching it all,” said team President Dave Dombrowski, who took over as general manager one week into the 2002 season.
As low as the Tigers sank, the building blocks started to take shape. Bonderman took his lumps as a 20-year-old, losing 19 games. Monroe batted .240 in his first full major-league season in 2003 but showed promise with 23 home runs.
Because of their distinction as one of the American League’s worst franchises, the Tigers overextended themselves in signing free agents Pudge Rodriguez (four years, $40 million) in 2004 and Magglio Ordonez (five years, $75 million) in 2005.
But the rewards have come to fruition. Bonderman, Monroe and Walker have played significant roles on a roster fortified with free agents Ordonez, Rodriguez and left-hander Kenny Rogers, and the astute drafting of right-handers Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya.
“You have to believe inside,” Monroe said.
Dombrowski realized the Tigers were going to suffer growing pains but wasn’t about to embark on a wild free-agent shopping spree similar to what landed him a 1997 World Championship with the Marlins.
“We were in a growth period,” Dombrowski said. “We had to decide which guys could continue to grow and improve from there. We had to analyze where we were, where other organizations weren’t able to do the same thing, but we could because we weren’t winning.
“We made a lot of adjustments, went with youth and got more ability. Some guys handled the growth process well and others didn’t.”
Changes were made in the front office, but Dombrowski retained several scouts who have played instrumental roles in preparing for opponents and developing raw talents such as Zumaya, an 11th-round pick in the 2002 draft.
Zumaya and his 100-m.p.h. fastball might be available Friday after all despite a tender right wrist injured during warmups before Wednesday’s Game 2 in Oakland. Zumaya underwent an MRI exam after the team arrived back in Detroit on Thursday and the test revealed only inflammation.
“A lot of people think you come in and clean house,” Dombrowski said. “I’m really of not of that mind-set. I try to give people an opportunity. You need to have quality people around you. There are a lot of good people in the organization. We shifted some jobs, changed some responsibilities.”
Scott Bream, a holdover from the Randy Smith regime, was responsible for the acquisition of Alexis Gomez, the hero of Game 2 in the American League Championship Series.
Meanwhile, Walker, Monroe and Bonderman are grateful Dombrowski stuck with them while forming a nucleus.
“Take Bonderman, for example,” Walker said. “He was written off by [Oakland GM] Billy Beane, and he did the learning in the big leagues, where most guys learn in the minor leagues. Coming out of Class A ball, he was thrown in the fire. He probably wouldn’t have been in the big leagues from any other [organization]. He learned a lot, and it has helped him not only as a pitcher, but also as a man.”
Bonderman said he appreciated his time in the Athletics’ organization but deflected the credit to Dombrowski for building the team and hiring manager Jim Leyland this season.
If Detroit can clinch the AL title at Comerica Park, Tigers fans expect a celebration similar to Saturday, when several players sprayed champagne on them.
“Our fans have been with us through enough [hard] times that we felt it was appropriate,” Monroe said.
Rags to riches
Teams with 100 losses who made the World Series within three years. If the Tigers make it, they would join this list with more losses in 2003 (119) than their peers below:
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TEAM YR REC WS
Boston Rustlers 1911 44-107 1914*
Boston Braves 1912 52-101 1914*
Boston Red Sox 1965 62-100 1967
New York Mets 1967 61-101 1969
Atlanta Braves 1988 54-106 1991
*–Same franchise
Source: STATS
WS–year they made World Series
Turnaround 10
Ten Detroit players remain from the 2003 team that lost 119 games:
PLAYER P 2003 STATS
Jeremy Bonderman SP 6-19, 5.56 ERA
Omar Infante IF .222, 8 RBIs
Brandon Inge C .203, 30 RBIs
Wilfredo Ledezma RP 3-7, 5.79
Mike Maroth* SP 9-21, 5.73
Craig Monroe OF 23 HR, 70 RBIs
Nate Robertson SP 1-2, 5.54
Fernando Rodney RP 1-3, 6.07
Ramon Santiago IF .225, 10 SBs
Jamie Walker RP 4-3, 3.32
*–not on postseason roster
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mgonzales@tribune.com
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