The Detroit Tigers came within a game of baseball infamy in the 2003 season, avoiding setting the mark for most losses in American League history thanks to a win in their final game of the season.
And new Tigers manager A.J. Hinch just so happened to be a member of that team. He’s looking back on it with a sense of humor, though.
“We obviously were not a very good team back then,” Hinch said of the 2003 Tigers. “I’ve apologized in a couple of staff meetings to Tram for what we did to his managerial record.”
Tigers legend Alan Trammell was the team’s manager during that season that saw Detroit win 43 games. Hinch hit .203 with 15 hits during the campaign.
He’s happy to be back at work after having to sit out last season stemming from his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-tealing scandal.
“I hated being out of the game last year. I understand why,” Hinch said. “And I’m not going to take it for granted that I get to put on a major-league uniform again and lead a group of guys throughout the season.”
– – Quotes via Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press Link – –
