In what was most assuredly his last start wearing the Olde English D, Matthew Boyd hurled 6 1/3 innings, striking out 10 Mariners, as the Tigers lost, again, 3-2.
With the trade deadline looming on Wednesday, the lefty hurler took the mound in Seattle knowing that he was probably starting his final game as a member of the Tigers.
It was Detroit's 71st loss of the season, one that started with a rebuilding effort that has turned into a absolute disaster.
Boyd was one of the few players who will be remembered in a positive light when this nightmarish year is done, and like former Tigers Justin Verlander, and J.D. Martinez, he just may be headed to a pennant race, maybe in Milwaukee, Houston, or in The Bronx.
I've been a big fan of Matthew Boyd since he was acquired by the Tigers in a trade that sent David Price to the Blue Jay's at the 2015 trade deadline.
Why did I become a fan of the former Oregon State pitcher you say?
Well, it's quite simple, it's my middle name... BOYD.
👉 Unlike J.D. and J.V., at least Topps issued a Topps Living Set card of Matthew before he got away.
In February of 1960, when I showed up in this world, I was named John, after my two Grandfathers and my Uncle John, my Mom's Brother.
Apparently, to keep the confusion as to who they were talking to, about, or at, the use of my middle name, Boyd, became what I was known as in my family, and it's the name my Mom called me until she passed away in 2010.
And so, if this was his last game as my favorite Tigers pitcher, I thank Matthew for wearing the uniform of my favorite team with pride, and I'd like to tell him that I will always cheer him on...unless, of course, he pitches against my team.
Thanks Matty B., good luck in whatever path your career takes you down.
It was an amazing year for all of us proud fans of the Maize & Blue, culminating in a run towards a baseball Championship that ultimately fell just a game short.
I had to make this post after seeing the new issue of The Wolverine.
The Michigan baseball team played in the College World Series for the first time since 1983, when a future Cincinnati Reds HOF shortstop named Barry Larkin played for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines won Game 1 behind pitching hero Tommy Henry, a fellow graduate of Portage Northern High School, but were ultimately defeated by the powerful Vanderbilt bats.
This issue is a must have, and if your a Michigan fan you can order it here, or I'm sure it's in fine bookstores across the GREAT STATE OF MICHIGAN!
It's been a long season for Tigers fans, especially when the team plays at home, but on Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park Nicholas Castellanos hit his first career Walk-Off HR, as the Detroiters beat the Blue Jay's, 4-3.
🐯 I'm very much in the minority when it comes to Castellanos... I'm a huge fan, and wish he'd play his entire career in Motown, but it's quite obvious that isn't going to happen.
🐯⚾️ This is my favorite Nicholas Castellanos baseball card. ⚾️🐯
Of all his base Topps cards, #268 in the 2015 Heritage set is my favorite card of Nick.
2015 Heritage used the 1966 Topps Set design, which, in addition to Nick in that beautiful Tigers home uniform and Olde English D ballcap, we get that cool Topps Rookie Cup prominently displayed in the lower left hand corner.
📰 It sounds as is Castellanos is headed to play for either the Dodgers, or Cubs (based on what I see on Twitter), after the trade deadline ( I've also heard Astros and Braves)...but the Cubbies and Dodgers seem to be heating up in talks.
🐯 Nick's 10th inning HR to win the game was one last shining moment in a Tigers uniform for a terrific ballplayer who deserved better from the Tigers front office and my fellow fans.
📌 At the top of the anti- Castellanos list are all the knuckleheads who subscribe to analytics as the be-all to end all when it comes to baseball stats.... who think the 27 year old right fielder should be Al Kaline defensively.
They mock is play defensively because of the ridiculous analytics numbers, and totally disregard his offensive numbers because of dumb stats like Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.
While I know these numbers are important to the younger fans, the bottom line is that 2 defensive stats should NOT outweigh all of his offensive stats.
👉 All Castellanos has done since making his big league debut in September of 2013 is play his backside off while the Tigers kept moving him around, changing his natural position of shortstop in high school into being the teams next third baseman, and then moving him to the outfield, then back to 3rd Base, and then back to the outfield.
👉 In his 7 years, in over 829 career games, Castellanos has collected 855 hits, with 103 HRs, and 422 RBI.
Nick has a career. 275 batting average, a .467 slugging percentage, and, for you new age numbers fans, he has a OPS of .807.
I was talking to my friends Dennis and Paul this week, I touted Castellanos for his league leading 33 doubles, and, according to Tigers radio play by plan man Dan Dickerson, Nick is on pace for a whopping 58 two-baggers, a number that would put him in rarefied air in MLB History.
The single season record for doubles by a big league ballplayer is 67, by a man named Earl Webb, of the 1931 Boston Red Sox.
Think about that... 1931... 88 years ago...and that record still stands.
The closest anyone in recent big league play has gotten to 67 doubles was in 2000, when Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies smacked 59.
In Tigers history, only Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg (63 in 1934), and Charlie Gehringer (60 in 1936), have passed the 60 doubles threshold.
As for career doubles, Castellanos has 204 doubles... the big league record is held by HOFer Tris Speaker, who collected 792 doubles in his 22 year career.
✔ Albert Pujols, in his 19th year, is the active carer leader, with 653 doubles.
👉 So, at age 27, Nicholas Castellanos is well on his way to quite the big league baseball career, and, like J.D. Martinez, who fans also didn't want playing in Detroit, Nick is headed for greener pastures, possibly following J.D. as a World Series Champion.
Thanks Nick... thanks for wearing that Olde English D with pride and passion!
