DEAL DONE: Detroit Tiger confirm 2024 a vital deal
When we last left off, the Dodgers managed to avoid the dread of losing to an inferior team by defeating the hapless Chicago White Sox. We all had a good time, bonding over some shenanigans involving a milkshake.
There’s no way that fear could become a reality in this series, right? Right?!?
As the first half of the 2024 regular season comes to a close, the long-awaited trip to Detroit has finally arrived. I had never been to Michigan, let alone Detroit. Being a casual Colorado Avalanche fan in the early 2000s, I had a natural inclination to dislike the city, barring certain pop culture references about the importance of a competent police union. But I had seen photos of Comerica Park and was eager to see what the fuss was about.
Honestly, the experience at Comerica Park is less than the sum of its parts. The stadium is relatively new, walkable, with wide concourses and distinct iconography, yet enough corners are cut to make the experience underwhelming.
Unlike Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, which I described as stale, room-temperature water, Comerica Park can be likened to cold, flat pop. It looks inviting, but as soon as you take a sip, you realize something is off.
However, what Comerica Park gets right, it gets right. The $20 tour of the park was what you’d expect, and signing up for another all-you-can-eat buffet in an air-conditioned room on a muggy afternoon isn’t a terrible idea.
That said, the Dodgers lost two out of three games in a heartbreaking, hilarious, and annoying fashion. Rather than share my thoughts on Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal, I’m distracted by a nagging question based on my history.
Just how often are the Dodgers walked off when I’m around?
In four years, I’ve attended 78 Dodgers games in 26 different cities, which is a strange sentence to write. On the positive side, the Dodgers are 48-30 when I’m present. However, in that same period, I’ve seen the Dodgers get walked off nine times:
– May 1, 2021 at Milwaukee Brewers
– May 4, 2021 (game 2) at Chicago Cubs
– May 5, 2021 at Chicago Cubs
– August 16, 2022 at Milwaukee Brewers
– September 9, 2022 at San Diego Padres
– May 24, 2023 at Atlanta Braves
– July 16, 2023 at New York Mets
– July 13, 2024 at Detroit Tigers
– July 14, 2024 at Detroit Tigers
Honestly, a walk-off loss usually means the game was entertaining. If fans get rowdy after beating the Dodgers, so be it. The fans in Detroit were ruder than I’ve come to expect, which is a mark against their city. Getting flipped off for leaving the stadium feels rather childish, but whatever.
Ideally, I’d like the Dodgers to win when I’m around. Had they taken care of business, I’d be writing a semi-serious plea for the team to hire me as a good luck charm (10-1 is impressive this year) and to help run their social media accounts.
For example, check out what the Cubs did to announce the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers. Unless you’re a robot, that video is powerful stuff.
Someday is now. See you in Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/TOkyqOG5T4
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 18, 2024
As I have gently pointed out recently, the Dodgers can sometimes be somewhat taciturn in this regard. Instead, I get to re-live the opposite of Clayton Kershaw’s unique bit of perfection that likely only applies to me.
I have highlighted two sets of games from the list above. In the last 32 seasons, only twice has a Dodgers pitcher given up back-to-back walk-off losses on consecutive days: Garrett Cleavinger in 2021 in Chicago and now Yohan Ramirez in 2024 in Detroit.
Guess who was there both times?!?
At the time, I was more annoyed that the Dodgers coughed up their biggest loss in 15 years in Game 2 of the series, mostly because I was terribly sunburned. When I bought those tickets, it was supposed to be an evening game.
If seeing Pedro Baez fall off the mound to balk in the winning run in San Francisco didn’t break me, if the original #SaveEli trip didn’t break me, then the Mookie Betts-less Los Angeles Dodgers can’t touch me. But for everyone’s sanity, some stability returning to the roster would be appreciated because I can’t fathom a scenario where Yohan Ramirez is pitching leverage innings in the fall.
Our 2024 field coverage continues in two weeks when we say goodbye to the Oakland Coliseum. See you then!