The Tigers clinched their third consecutive American League Central division title Wednesday night while Max Scherzer picked up his 21st win of the season, but for Torii Hunter the party couldn't continue without Jim Leyland. Leyland, who notched his 700th win as a Tigers manager with Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins, was carried into the clubhouse celebration by Hunter mid-interview.
During an interview where an emotional Leyland was thanking the fans for all of their support and saying how much it meant to the organization while also praising his team for overcoming adversity, Hunter busted in and carried him to the clubhouse to join the party with the rest of the jubilant Tigers.
"I told them don't get caught up in the expectations, get caught up in how we're gonna live up to those expectations and that's what they've done," a teary eyed Leyland said of his team overcoming the sky-high expectations coming into the year. "And I want to say thank you to our fans, I'm so proud of what you've done for our ball club and what you've done for me since I've been here."
At that point, Hunter came in and made sure that Leyland joined the party. The Tigers then doused the manager in champagne as he jumped up and down for joy over what the team had accomplished this season.
Scherzer improved to 21-3 on the year with the victory and closes out his Cy Young caliber regular season with a 21-3 overall record to go along with a 2.90 ERA, 0.970 WHIP and 240 strikeouts, but as he has done all year he took a team-first approach to his performance.
"There's not one person that you celebrate more than the other," Scherzer told MLB.com "We have 24 other guys in here that play so hard, that play with intensity, that have talent, produce in the field. It's a treat to be in this organization and be in this clubhouse with these guys."
Scherzer capped off his impressive season with seven scoreless innings and even had a stretch of retiring nine hitters in a row Wednesday night, piggy backing the Tigers to another division crown. That performance, in Leyland's mind, should be enough to get him the award.
"Tonight he showed why he's the Cy Young winner," Leyland said per MLB.com. "I don't vote, but if that doesn't get him over the hump, I don't know what does."
During the middle innings, Hunter organized a huddle in the dugout to ramp up his teammates with only a few outs standing between the team and a celebration.
"I said, 'Hey, we need to get something going,' because [Kevin] Correia was pitching good," Hunter said, according to MLB.com. "His ball was moving all over the place and we were trying to get something going with him. Just a little something to push."
Whatever rally cry Hunter pulled off, it worked as the Tigers were able to hang on for a 1-0 win. Scherzer told reporters after the game that the 1-0 win doesn't mean as much to him as getting a chance to celebrate with teammates.
"The clinch means most, because that's a team thing," he told MLB.com. "You get to pop champagne, smoke cigars and get a hangover with your teammates."
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