Finally, some sweet justice for the Detroit Tigers and manager AJ Hinch, as his team clinched a long-awaited playoff berth and avoided complete and total collapse with a victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night. Detroit can still win the AL Central, as well, with a win and Cleveland loss on Sunday. In clinching a playoff spot Saturday, Detroit essentially knocked out the Houston Astros, Hinch's former team.
For those unfamiliar, Hinch left the Astros in disgrace following an investigating into the team's sign-stealing scandal. He was suspended for a season, unlike the players who actually perpetrated said scandal, and wouldn't return to managing until the Tigers hired him in 2020. Per reports, Hinch tried to put a stop to the sign stealing, even taking a bat to the Astros monitors, which were largely responsible for tracking their opponent's signs. However, that didn't rid Hinch of responsibility, nor should it. He was still compliant and benefitted from one of the worst scandals in MLB history and was punished for it. Prominent players, such as Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, were not, and remain on said Astros team whose World Series window may have finally come to a close thanks in part to Hinch.
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Tigers will reward AJ Hinch despite an epic collapse
If results hold, the Tigers will not win the AL Central, despite holding a double-digit lead to start the month of September. It will go down as one of the worst collapses in MLB history, and it all occurred under Hinch's watchful eye. Hinch and the Tigers coaching staff has remained remarkably stable, and at times at a loss for words, rather than finding a way to turn their awful month-plus around. It has cost them dearly.
The Tigers are lucky to have built such a monumental postseason resume in the first half of the season. This will save them from missing the playoffs outright, which was a possibility as recently as early this week. Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Tigers president of baseball operations doesn't see a problem with the performance of Hinch's team down the stretch, and is expected to extend the manager.
"The Tigers plan to give manager A.J. Hinch a contract extension. The deal was close to being finalized a few weeks ago, but with the Tigers’ collapse, the timing simply wasn’t right," Nightengale wrote. "The deal should be consummated after the postseason, but in the meantime, if the Astros indeed are looking for a manager, they could touch base for a possible reunion."
Are Tigers making the right call in extending AJ Hinch?
The simple fact that Harris was worried about the public perception of a Hinch contract extension should tell fans all they need to know. No, Hinch should not be fired for his team's lack of execution down the stretch. That is not all his fault, as much of the blame falls on the front office and Harris, whose offseason and trade deadline decisions haven't panned out.
Harris isn't worried about what Tigers fans think. He is worried about timing and negative PR. He assumes that by waiting a couple of weeks – until after Detroit's season ends – he can sweep an extension for Hinch under the rug and no one will notice.
That's not how professional sports works, especially not in Detroit. Fans will notice, no matter the timing. If Harris is so worried about giving Hinch an extension this week, perhaps he ought to heed his own warning.