Sure, the Tigers fell short of winning a division title in 2009, but that doesn't mean it was a year without plenty of good memories.
So with that in mind, Tigers.com wants to know: What was your Detroit Tigers 2009 Play of the Year?
But they "forgot" a few top plays. So I want to know: what was your real Tigers play of the year for 2009?
Maybe you think of young Rick Porcello, all of 20 years old, stepping onto the mound in Toronto on April 9 and firing the first major-league pitch -- a strike, by the way -- of what will hopefully be a fruitful career in the MLB.
Maybe you remember an afternoon in August when Justin Verlander ceded the Orioles a five-run advantage in the first inning, but his teammates bailed him out with a 6-5 victory -- capped by Clete Thomas lifting a walkoff home run into the center field bushes.
Like reversals of fortune? When Thomas homered, the game was tied. So maybe you preferred Ryan Raburn's two-run blast against the Cubs in June. That one turned a 4-3 loss into a 5-4 victory.
Hey, there were key home runs aplenty. Remember when Aubrey Huff got off the schneid with a game-tying, three-run homer against the Blue Jays in September? How big was that during the stretch run? The Tigers walked off with the win an inning later.
There are some of us who love a good defensive gem. So maybe you see Brandon Inge sprinting across the infield, bare-handing a ball and firing it to first for the out against the Royals in July. Or maybe it's Inge's dive into the stands against the Mariners in August.
Or maybe there was another play that comes to mind. One that involved one of your favorite players doing the near-impossible. Maybe it was a play that saw you go from covering your face in dismay to getting out of your seat hooting, as a crushing, game-ending home run was snagged from over the wall.
IT IS GONE! NO IT'S NOT!
Who was it that did that?
Oh yes. Curtis Granderson.
I don't know why the MLB Advanced Media or someone at Tigers.com chose to leave Granderson's catch out of the top Tigers plays of the year options. It didn't say Top Tigers Plays of 2009 By Tigers Still With The Team after all. But you'll note no players gone from the team are featured in the highlights the Tigers will let you vote for.
So I open it up to you. What was your Tigers play of the year? If it wasn't one of my suggestions, please let us know your favorite memory in the comments!