Tigers Beat White Sox For 12th Straight Win, On Verge Of Division Title

On Sept. 1, the Detroit Tigers lost to the Kansas City Royals, 11-8. They maintained a solid 5-1/2 game lead in the AL Central; although they didn't seem to be cruising to the playoffs, they looked in excellent position to win the division.

The Tigers have simply refused to lose since that day. Wednesday afternoon in Chicago, they defeated the White Sox 6-5 in extra innings for their 12th consecutive win. That is the longest Tigers winning streak in 77 years; they won 14 straight in 1934, a year in which they won 101 games and the AL pennant before falling to the Cardinals in the World Series.

Detroit's victory on a rainy day in front of a tiny gathering composed mainly of its own fans, if the cheering for Tigers runs heard on television was any indication, was of the dramatic come-from-behind variety. Brad Penny's own fielding error helped lead to four White Sox runs in the second inning, capped by a two-run double by Alexei Ramirez. The score remained 4-1 Chicago until the sixth, when Miguel Cabrera's 43rd double of the year was followed by a Victor Martinez run-scoring single. The White Sox matched that run in the last of the sixth and took a three-run, 5-2 lead into the top of the ninth.

Ryan Raburn hit a home run off Chris Sale to make it 5-3; when Sale walked former White Sox Magglio Ordonez, Sox manager Ozzie Guillen called on closer Sergio Santos, who promptly gave up a game-tying homer to Alex Avila, Avila's 19th of the season.

The White Sox got a break in the bottom of the ninth when Phil Coke walked the usually-unwalkable Juan Pierre, who was sacrificed to second and stole third with one out. But they could not bring him home, and in the 10th, Martinez doubled with one out. He was replaced by pinch runner Will Rhymes, who scored on a Carlos Guillen single.

Jose Valverde kept his perfect season -- no blown saves -- intact in the last of the 10th, striking out the side for his 44th save and a 6-5 victory for Detroit.

The win reduced Detroit's elimination number over the White Sox to one. If the Rangers defeat the Indians Wednesday night, the Tigers would clinch a tie for the AL Central title; that would also reduce Cleveland's elimination number to one.

The win improved Detroit's record to 87-62; four games behind the Yankees for the best record in the American League, the Tigers have a shot at passing them. They travel to the West Coast to begin a four-game series with the Athletics Thursday.