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Sports Arena
A Game of Inges
The former Detroit Tiger swings like a man with something to prove.
Third baseman Brandon Inge of the Oakland A’s, who has toiled in the big leagues for a dozen seasons, just had the week of his life. In a five-game stretch, Inge hit .350 (7-for-20), with 4 homeruns and 16 RBI, including a walk-off grand slam homerun against the Toronto Blue Jays. In four of those five games, Inge had 4 RBI apiece — the first MLB player to accomplish this feat since Lou Gehrig did late in the 1931 season. That year The Iron Horse set an American League record with 184 RBI.
And yet despite Inge’s extraordinary run, it wasn’t good enough to be named AL Player of the Week. For that very same week, Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton arguably had the best seven days of his big-league career. Between May 7 and 13, Hamilton hit .467 (14-for-30), with 8 homeruns and 18 RBI. Hamilton hit four homeruns in a single game against the Baltimore Orioles — the first big-league player to hit the ball over the fence four times in one game since Carlos Delgado did it with the Blue Jays in 2003. As of this writing, Hamilton is leading both leagues in batting average, homeruns, and RBI (.402 BA, 18 HR and 44 RBI). Hamilton has a legitimate chance to become MLB’s first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastremszki did it with the Impossible Dream Boston Red Sox in 1967.
Now, no one would argue that Inge is the same caliber player as Hamilton, never mind Gehrig, who earned a Triple Crown during the 1934 season. Still, all things considered, it’s not bad for a guy who was released by the Detroit Tigers less than three weeks ago. Inge, who turns 35 on May 19, enjoyed a measure of revenge against the team that drafted him in 1998 by hitting two homeruns and driving in eight runs over two games.
Inge made his big-league debut with the Tigers in 2001 as a catcher. Over his 12 years in Detroit, he squatted behind the plate, and played all three outfield positions and second base, but primarily third base. Over those 12 years, Inge was with the Tigers through the good, the bad, and the ugly. And by ugly, I mean really doggone ugly. Inge was a member of the 2003 Tigers team that lost 119 games, only one game fewer than the infamous 1962 New York Mets.
But the Tigers’ fortunes turned three years later when GM Dave Dombrowski hired Jim Leyland to manage the team. Leyland led one of the most improbable turnarounds in MLB history in 2006, as the Tigers captured their first AL pennant in 22 years. Inge was a major offensive contributor, and his 27 homeruns were the second most on the team. He would match that total in 2009, earning his only All-Star Game selection by way of the Final Vote.
However, Inge’s offensive production would decline. After hitting only 13 homeruns in 2010, he had the worst season of his career in 2011, hitting a paltry .197 with 3 homeruns and 23 RBI in 102 games. When the Tigers acquired veteran third baseman Wilson Betemit from the Kansas City Royals shortly after the All-Star Break, the Tigers designated Inge for assignment. Although he had more than a decade of big-league service to his credit and could have elected free agency, he accepted a demotion to the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Toledo. At the time, Inge stated:
I could have made the decision to not accept the assignment and maybe get picked up by another team. But this is home, and this is my team. I need to go down and work this out, but I’ll be back. I’ll be back in September no matter what. That’s a definite.
Inge would return to the team on August 20 and hit a homerun in his first game back. Over the final six weeks of the season, he hit a respectable .283 (15-for-53), raising his batting average nearly 20 points, although not enough to get above The Mendoza Line. Nonetheless, in the 32 games Inge played in August and September, the Tigers went 27-5 and won the AL Central by 15 games over the Cleveland Indians. During the post-season, Inge hit .318 (7-for-22), including a homerun in the ALCS against the Texas Rangers.
Despite this late-season upswing, the writing was on the wall for Inge when the Tigers signed free agent Prince Fielder to a 9-year, $214-million contract back in January. With Fielder ensconced at first base, the Tigers moved the team’s other superstar, Miguel Cabrera, to third base, leaving Inge once again the odd man out. He struggled with what little playing time he had left with the Tigers this season. In nine games, he hit .100 (2-for-20), with only a homerun to show for it. Exactly three months after Fielder signed with Detroit, the Tigers released Inge after nearly 14 years of service in both the major and minor leagues. He was gracious with the Detroit media following his release:
It’s one of those things you can kind of see how things are going before they come. But, you know, it’s no hard feelings whatsoever. This is my family; where I’ve been my whole career and I’ll miss the guys. I will. But a chance to play maybe somewhere else. It maybe a good thing, a good start for me personally but my heart will always be in Detroit for 100 percent and forever.
I appreciate everything that’s happened here. Everything. Every opportunity I’ve been given. The stuff we’ve accomplished.
Three days later, Inge got a call from the A’s, and now he’s making the most of his opportunity. It is said that baseball is game of inches. But sometimes baseball can also be a game of Inges.
About the Author
Aaron Goldstein writes from Boston, Massachusetts.
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ggoblue| 5.15.12 @ 7:34AM
they had to run him out of town because the fans were booing lustily his every appearance.
the man racked up the most career strikeouts by any tiger ever...and its not close.
Carl Yastrzemski| 5.15.12 @ 3:11PM
Inges and Hamilton are easy to spell, but Mr.Goldtsein blew on the Polack name.
Mark MacInnis| 5.15.12 @ 8:27AM
Ya gotta love baseball for constantly providing opportunities for redemption....
Good luck, Mr. Inge. You were my Mom's Tiger.
Frank Drackman| 5.15.12 @ 9:05AM
OK, its been almost a year.
Am I the only one who laughed his ass off at that idiot who fell to his death trying to catch a ball in the bleachers??
I mean, I could see if it was a Homerun ball, or something collectible,
Actually, lets see, "Ball caught by idiot fan who then fell to his death"
Wonder if it's got a COA
Frank
Aaron Goldstein| 5.15.12 @ 9:21AM
Yes, you probably are the only one.
Decent people don't see any humor in a man falling to his death in front of his six-year old son.
Josh Hamilton threw the ball to Shannon Stone which he was going to give to his son, Cooper. What happened was a terrible tragedy.
Humor is an important part of living. But this is no laughing matter.
Frank Drackman| 5.15.12 @ 9:26AM
I agree, Tragic,
BUT....
the Ranger Broadcasters watching it in real time made a "Thats gonna leave a mark" joke.
Have you SEEN the clip? could have been a Seinfeld Episode..
Frank
Aaron Goldstein| 5.15.12 @ 10:17AM
I haven't seen the clip nor do I want to. If you think a man falling to his death in front of his son is funny, well, you are way beyond help.
Frank Drackman| 5.15.12 @ 10:48AM
Ahh C'mon,
I've been to RedSox Games, makin rude/tasteless/Homo-Negro-Hispano-fobe comments is as American as Ty Cobb goin into the stands after a fan who questioned his family background.
And I feel for the kid, Dad dies, WEARING FRIGGIN FLIP-FLOPS.
Seriously, if my Dad took me to a game WEARING FRIGGIN FLIP-FLOPS, I'd have been the one takin a header into the warning track...
Frank
Aaron Goldstein| 5.15.12 @ 11:07AM
When were you at Fenway? The Pinky Higgins Era? I've attended more than 80 games at Fenway since 2000 and while I have heard "Yankees Suck" many times I have never heard a racist or homophobic utterance.
If you truly felt for Cooper Stone then you wouldn't insist on displaying your shortcomings.
Frank Drackman| 5.15.12 @ 11:21AM
July 1989, Centerfield bleachers, the ones that are sideways to the field.
the ones I remember,
during BP, Yankees Manager Dallas Green was standing in Right Field.
"!$%^@ DALLAS GREEN!!!!!! !*(&^%$# DALLAS GREEN!!!!!!!! YOU !@#$%^&**!!!!!!!!"
that covers the Homo-fobes...
and "Neon" Deion Sanders was shagging flies in Center..
"!#$%^&*@ SANDERS!!!!!!!!!!! YOU !@#%*($"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
and a guy that could have been Matt Damon used the "N" Word
the one that rhymes with "Bigger"
Frank
Occam's Tool| 5.15.12 @ 10:31AM
I also didn't see why Bartman was hounded. It's a game, folks, only a game.
Terrible thing about that guy dying in front of his kid.
Frank Drackman| 5.15.12 @ 11:28AM
Right On, Occam, not like the Cubs would have won the World Series...
And Wrigley fans are just as bad, I remember a game Sept 1986, Eric Greg was Umpiring Second,
Some Loudmouth in the right field bleachers said...
"!@@#$%ERIC GREGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"ERIC GREGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"!@*&^%ERIC GREGG!!!!!!!!
"YOU FAT!@#$%^&*PIG!"!"!"!"!"
and Eric Gregg just sort of waddled around, with a sly smile, and flipped a bird.
And not a Nelson Rockerfeller bird, the sly, hidden kind, like the "Pueblo" crew did to the North Koreans.
From that day, whenever I saw Eric Greg Umpiring on TV, I respected the Man...
Frank
Occam's Tool| 8.15.12 @ 8:22PM
I agree, the Cubs would not have won the World Series...but the death of a man in front of his son is a tragic thing, really.
We MDs do engage in gallows humor, yes, but that was awful. And beneath you, Frank.
Doctor Right| 5.15.12 @ 11:48AM
Yeah, that's real funny...
You're an ass.
Moe Blotz| 5.15.12 @ 3:13PM
The fan did not catch the ball, he fell whilst reaching for it.
Bob S| 5.16.12 @ 3:24AM
Your mother must be so proud.
michigander_sandusky| 5.15.12 @ 9:22AM
Excellent piece! Despite his late career slump, Brandon was a favorite of many Tigers fans like myself. His words upon leaving Detroit only burnish his image of being a first class guy! Best wishes Mr. Inge!
Will Stevens| 5.15.12 @ 10:07AM
Nice article. Everyone around here was scratching their heads over Billy Beane's moves this past off-season. However, the A's are 2 games over .500 and playing competitive ball. Inge is a nice pick-up: hopefully he can continue making contact and providing a bit more offense than what the A's have shown so far. Go A's!
Doctor Right| 5.15.12 @ 10:49AM
Isn't this a political website?
If I was interested in reading about the minutiae of baseball (and I'm not), I'd head to http://aol.sportingnews.com, or someplace similar.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 5.15.12 @ 11:09AM
Sometimes sport gives us an opportunity for a metaphor (or is it an allegory, or analogy) on other areas, such as politics. Other times, merely a brief break from the big battles, like a soldier in a fighting hole asking the guy in the next hole how his kid is doing.
Doctor Right| 5.15.12 @ 11:47AM
And what is it this time?
Seek| 5.15.12 @ 12:45PM
Not every pleasure of American life -- and baseball surely is one of them -- lends itself to political interpretation or mobilization. Kudos for Aaron Goldstein for reminding us as much.
Doctor Right| 5.15.12 @ 1:39PM
Yes, I know that.
But since this IS a political website, the question still remains.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 5.15.12 @ 9:53PM
Pardon me, Doctor, I just returned from the Phillies game I thought would be rained out today, exhausted from celebrating the victory Hunter Pence helped make, almost gave away, and managed to win back.
I hope that is a metaphor for the Romney campaign, and what I hope is his ultimate victory. Similarly (or would that be, as a simile), the only positive thing I have from the Fall of 2008 was the first Phillies World Series victory in 28 years, which was ruined a few days later by Obama's electoral victory. On the latter, I now think more than half of the country is with us on hoping it is undone in 2012, whether they be sports fans or not.
Bob S| 5.16.12 @ 3:23AM
No one is forcing you to read them, you know. Don't have to comment on them either.
Anthony| 5.15.12 @ 2:14PM
I would not argue with Josh Hamilton getting the AL best player of the week award.
Hell, with 18 homers and 44 RBI's, that's a season for half the league!!!
cicero| 5.15.12 @ 3:01PM
Everyone who follows the Tigers is rooting for Brandon's success. He was a great player while he was here, and one that you would buy a ticket to watch pay the game. In the past few years, he just couldn't hit for average. I think the change of scenery is what he needed. His Detroit fans would like to see him have a great year (years), as long as he sstrikes out a lot when he plays against Detroit. Go Brandon!
Bob S| 5.16.12 @ 3:20AM
Wow, no mention of Bryce Harper. Congratulations on overcoming your hero worship, Aaron.