Detroit Tigers News: The Red Sox beat the Yankees and everyone has a lot to say about it

We didn’t get a fifth game in this year’s ALDS, but the ninth inning of Game 4 between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees provided plenty enough drama for all. Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel did his best Jose Valverde impression, allowing a pair of runs before closing out a 4-3 win by the skin of his teeth. The final play went to review, but was upheld, and the Red Sox moved on to the ALCS.

In other words, it was a normal ninth inning for Detroit Tigers fans.

Now, the MLB Championship Series field is set. The Red Sox will take on Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros for the AL pennant, while the Milwaukee Brewers face the Los Angeles Dodgers for National League supremacy. Unfortunately for us baseball fans, we have to endure two off days before the NLCS gets underway on Friday.

For Tigers fans, rooting interests will be varied. Plenty of people will be pulling for Justin Verlander and the Astros, especially since they are facing the hated Red Sox. However, there are several Tigers on the Red Sox roster — built in part by former Tigers puppeteer Dave Dombrowski — and none of them have yet won a ring. The Brewers will also get a lot of love, simply because they aren’t the Astros, Red Sox, or Dodgers.

I, for one, support petty baseball fights

Back to the Red Sox-Yankees series for a moment. Aaron Judge made headlines when he blasted Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” after the Yankees’ Game 2 win at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox responded in kind, playing the same song as they popped champagne in the Yankee Stadium clubhouse on Tuesday.

Judge apologized on Wednesday morning, but I sincerely hope this ramps up one of the best rivalries in sports — an over-hyped one at times, but a great one nonetheless — come 2019.

More petty baseball fights!

CC Sabathia had words for umpire Angel Hernandez, who was behind the plate in Game 4.

Personally, I thought Hernandez was worse in Game 3 when he had a couple of calls easily overturned. His strike zone was a little tight on Tuesday, but actually pretty consistent.

Rick Porcello, clearly a fan of our work after his years in Detroit, agrees with me.

Even more petty baseball fights!

Cleveland’s Mike Clevinger had a bad day on Monday, and went off on MLB Network’s Robert Flores after Flores shared an old (and funny) video on Tuesday.

(Here’s the video in question, since we’re all for mocking Cleveland sports teams, especially when they get beat down like this.)

The two eventually made up, which is nice.

Speaking of old enemies becoming friends...

Remember that guy who had beer thrown on him at the AL Wild Card Game? Turns out he and the beer thrower are BFFs now.

Oh yeah, the Tigers

I guess we should talk about them. MLive’s Evan Woodberry issued report cards for the team earlier this week. Today is the 50th anniversary of Game 7 of the 1968 World Series. There were things to remember from the Tigers’ 2018 season too, just not as many. The Detroit News’ Lynn Henning has details of how the Rod and Mario incident went down.

Baseball is awesome, but hard