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00:00Tigers have won eight of their last nine baseball games.
00:03They are in the playoffs if the season ended today.
00:06The turnaround is incredible.
00:08We are joined by Tiger manager, AJ Hinch.
00:10Good morning, AJ.
00:12Anything going on around here in Detroit?
00:14It's a lot of fun.
00:18The atmosphere was incredible last night.
00:20I know you spoke about it after the game,
00:21but just even reflecting the next morning,
00:23what was it like to be part of that?
00:25No, it was incredible.
00:27And the day before, we ambushed the city with a time change
00:32because of the rain.
00:32We didn't want to lose Scooble.
00:33We had the day game.
00:35The crowd that came out was loud.
00:37And then last night, it was really electric.
00:40And it kept building as the game went on.
00:42And then again, I said this last night,
00:45I don't know what it's like to be Jackson Joe,
00:47but when you walk into that stadium
00:49or walk out of that bullpen and you hear your name
00:52and you see the video and the emotion
00:55that came with this fan base,
00:57who's been anticipating his debut for a while,
01:00that was as electric a moment as any
01:02that I've been around as far as debuts go.
01:05So we've had obviously opening days
01:06where the ballpark has been filled,
01:08but this is different.
01:10And you've been in this situation before,
01:12but now you're seeing all of these young players
01:16witness this for the first time.
01:18What's it like from your perspective
01:20to watch Parker Meadows, Riley Green,
01:23I mean, I'll go right down the list,
01:24but watch them experience last night
01:27and a playoff run for the first time?
01:31For sure.
01:32I think a lot of people who have played in Detroit
01:35or managed in Detroit or been around the Tigers
01:39talk about how America lights up
01:41whenever this team is relevant and good
01:44and playing good baseball.
01:45And we've seen flashes of that in my time here,
01:50but obviously it's very meaningful
01:52when you're playing for something
01:54and the fans ignite this emotion
01:57and the pride, the joy, this journey,
02:01and our players are responding very well.
02:03I'm most impressed by our team,
02:05obviously the way we're playing,
02:06but more importantly, how we're taking all this in.
02:09Like our guys are unfazed
02:11and are really all in on bringing a winner to Detroit.
02:15So I love every bit of it.
02:18We need to finish this off.
02:19Obviously we have four games
02:20and we're gonna stay grounded,
02:21but I have to say thank you to the fans
02:24for making this special
02:25and the players who aren't ready
02:29for that to be the only story.
02:31We really wanna continue to check off some wins.
02:34As the season goes, goals change, expectations change.
02:37We've asked you this and always the answer is,
02:39hey, it's one of 162,
02:41but now there's only four games left.
02:44Do you guys have the discussion
02:46of what it takes to clinch the post-season?
02:49We use the magic number.
02:50Do you guys talk about that?
02:53We don't talk about it.
02:54We're aware of it
02:55because it's kind of thrown at us every day now.
02:58And I don't blame fans or media or the excitement.
03:02I just, I'm the manager
03:03and it's literally the definition of my job
03:06is to manage the players
03:07and manage their emotions and their expectations.
03:10And yesterday we had a mediocre workday before the game.
03:15We had a couple of coaches
03:16that changed the tone on our work.
03:20We have to keep pressing forward.
03:22And the one thing we talk about every day
03:24is how to beat the opponent that day.
03:25And that doesn't always resonate with fans
03:28or probably your listeners
03:29or the way that the emotions wanna draw
03:32to this playoff race.
03:33But it is the way that you stack wins
03:36and stack good performance.
03:37And you talk about good baseball for two months.
03:41We didn't do that in August
03:42by looking towards September 25th, 26th.
03:45We're not gonna do October
03:47until we get to the finish line.
03:50I just want everybody to understand
03:51like we know what's going on.
03:52We are aware of what's going on.
03:54We're excited, but all we can really focus on is today
03:57with Tampa and trying to beat the race team
04:00for the third time.
04:02Yeah, we talk about how this team has done this.
04:04And at the trade deadline,
04:06it was a rotation that wasn't complete.
04:08It was a bunch of young guys who were unproven
04:10and you guys have tied this all together
04:12so nicely to go on this run.
04:14And AJ, I think it's only fitting
04:15that I ask you a follow-up question.
04:18Do you think you're doing a good job?
04:21I mean, I wasn't gonna bring it up
04:23because like I didn't want to revisit that timeline.
04:26You guys hit me at a low moment
04:28during the middle of that season.
04:29It's a long season, AJ, and yeah, I think, yeah.
04:32I think we're all doing our part
04:34to push this thing forward and play well.
04:40You know, obviously my staff and the players
04:42and the office, I mean, we've continued to turn the roster
04:46and we've continued to stack good days on good days.
04:48So I'll take where we're at right now,
04:50but I'll take it even better if we can finish this off.
04:52I think one of the jobs that everybody has talked about
04:56is Chris Fetter.
04:57I'd love to hear your take on what he has been able to,
05:01it's not just him, but he gets a lot of the praise
05:04for what's the job that he's done with the young arms
05:07and the way that you've worked,
05:09the bullpen group effort days,
05:12whatever you want to call them,
05:13your thoughts on Chris Fetter.
05:16Yeah, so he's amazing.
05:17And obviously there's a lot of people around this city
05:20and Ann Arbor who know exactly what he brings to the table,
05:23but he's a constant influence on our pitching and our plan.
05:29And really one of the foundational parts
05:33of his program or his belief or his way of coaching
05:38is maximizing the strengths of the player.
05:41And that fits in so perfectly with this organization
05:46and obviously me and my staff,
05:47because he wants to grab whatever the guy does well
05:51and maximize that.
05:53And so whether that's an emotional kid
05:55like Cater Montero last night,
05:57like he's beaming with emotion,
05:58he's gotta be the guy that balances them out.
06:01On the flip side of that,
06:02there may be somebody who's a flatliner
06:04who he needs to kick in the rear.
06:05And so he's incredible at figuring out
06:09what is the best version of that player
06:12and going in and optimizing it.
06:14And so he's understated, he's quiet,
06:16he doesn't like credit.
06:19Every time I mentioned his name in the media,
06:21he kind of looks at me like,
06:22man, you have to bring me up again.
06:24But he is obviously a huge part of our success,
06:28along with a bunch of guys underneath him
06:30in the pitching department,
06:31all the way through the minor leagues.
06:33But it's the feet off his leadership
06:35and his consistency that he shows up
06:37to the ballpark with every day.
06:38Talking to Tiger manager, AJ Hinch.
06:41AJ, Scooble, will you use him on Sunday
06:44if you guys have already clinched a playoff spot?
06:47In other words, would he pitch for seeding
06:48or at that point would you say
06:50you just wanna line him up to pitch a playoff game one,
06:53assuming things are clinched?
06:55Right.
06:56So Tariq has lined up and planning to pitch on Sunday
07:01if we need it.
07:02Obviously we've talked briefly about
07:05what kind of scenarios could be in play
07:07if we need him to pitch on regular rest,
07:09which would not be uncommon.
07:12But if we need to get into the playoff,
07:16he will absolutely pitch.
07:17If we need seeding, I think it's unlikely
07:20that we would use that weapon for seeding.
07:23We would shift towards a different start.
07:26But we haven't really talked that directly about it
07:30because it's just not consistent
07:32with how I've preached to this team
07:34to be where your feet are.
07:35But I understand the question,
07:37but let's hope it's not an issue
07:40and we can just do our part before that.
07:43So, I mean, if you're focused on today
07:46and the game against Tampa today,
07:48what's it gonna take to beat Tyler Alexander?
07:52What's the game plan look like to get a win today?
07:56Yeah, so we know him well.
07:58We faced him earlier this season.
08:00This will be the first time he's back in Detroit
08:02and he is a beloved person.
08:05So we've gotta channel our emotion
08:08and sort of the inside jokes and the inside knowledge.
08:10I mean, this guy's been in our clubhouse before
08:11and I love Tyler Alexander.
08:14I mean, I hate him today,
08:15but I will love him after the game,
08:19especially if he can miss middle,
08:20middle to a couple of our guys.
08:21But the thing that we need to do today
08:24is kind of what we did yesterday.
08:26I like how we jumped out to the lead.
08:28We get good pitches to hit.
08:29We hit the ball really hard yesterday.
08:32And I think today, like most days,
08:33is gonna center around our pitching.
08:36We've used a lot of resources in the last week.
08:39And I wish I could push the reset button,
08:41have everybody available,
08:42but it's gonna be a different combo today
08:44to get to the finish line.
08:45And it all starts with Reese Olsen.
08:47You know, I'd like to get him
08:48to the middle part of the game.
08:49And then you may see Casey Mize,
08:51you might see Kenta, you might see Bo.
08:53Obviously Foley, Vest, those guys can go.
08:55So we have a different path to the end of the game,
08:58but it's gonna take, you know,
09:00given that Reese is not quite fully built up
09:03as a, you know, 90, 100, 110 pitch starter,
09:07it's gonna take a couple of guys
09:08to pitch well to beat Kenta today.
09:11AJ, I wanna go back to Jackson Jobe just for a second.
09:14The decision for him to come up,
09:15what went into that,
09:16and what do you think he can bring,
09:18not just for this week?
09:19I know you don't wanna think beyond,
09:20but clearly what he could bring to your baseball team
09:22just moving forward.
09:24Yeah, Scott and Jeff and I talked about
09:27Jackson being an option on the road trip.
09:30And Scott brought it to me one day and said,
09:32hey, I think Jackson should be in play.
09:36I tried to kind of channel my emotion
09:37and be super calm about it.
09:39And I was like, like tomorrow?
09:40And he's like, no, he's got a pitch on Friday in AAA.
09:44We're gonna challenge him with a few things
09:45and then, you know, get through the weekend
09:47and we can bring him up.
09:49And I think what that signals to me
09:52is an organization that's all in
09:54on trying to give us the best resources to win.
09:57And we're in a great position
09:58to have a special ending to this season
10:01and this regular season.
10:03And Jackson can be a part of it.
10:04Like last night, as an example,
10:05we got to get his feet wet.
10:07I wanted it so badly to be a perfect scenario for him.
10:09It was about as perfect as it could get.
10:11I didn't anticipate it being the ninth inning.
10:13I also didn't anticipate the chance from 32,000 people
10:17to welcome him to Detroit.
10:18But I think he brings stuff.
10:20He brings adrenaline.
10:22He's really hard to hit
10:24as seen by his minor league performance.
10:26And so we need to test him this week
10:29to see if he would factor in if we make the playoffs.
10:31But he's eligible to pitch.
10:33I'll probably give him a day or two off.
10:35I don't wanna treat him like a true reliever yet
10:38and try to get him in the series this weekend
10:41and have him feature his stuff.
10:43I mean, it's a plus across the board,
10:46plus athleticism, plus arm, plus stuff,
10:48plus fastball, cutter, slider, change up.
10:51Like you name it, he's got the weapons to be good.
10:55And I was really impressed by his calmness last night.
10:59He didn't really look as nervous as I thought he would
11:02or as I would have been as a 22-year-old pitcher
11:05coming in, pitching in the big leagues for the first time.
11:07So first box check, get him in the game
11:10and see how he responds.
11:11And now we'll throw another challenge at him this weekend.
11:14Before we let you go, we do this exercise all the time.
11:17Like who gets the most credit for where the team is now
11:21in the resurgence?
11:22I don't wanna ask you that question
11:24because I'm sure you won't say yourself.
11:26You won't say, you'll probably put it on the players.
11:27But what have been some of the key components
11:31that you have seen that has allowed this team
11:34to be where they are now?
11:37Yeah, the reason that I think it's hard topic
11:40or hard question is like I could fill up
11:43the rest of your show with people in the organization
11:45who have touched this build
11:50and this section of baseball success.
11:54And that's because there are front office members
11:57who you'll never hear about who are doing a ton of work
11:59to help the coaches.
12:00There are coaches in the minor leagues
12:02who you've never heard of that are working with these guys
12:05either on the way up or when we reset them
12:07and send them down to the minor leagues.
12:08And then there's always the forward-facing group
12:11in the big leagues who we get a lot of notoriety
12:15or attention.
12:16And so it's not just like words when we say
12:20it's the entire organization has a fingerprint
12:24in what's going on.
12:25I mean, I look at, listen, when we traded for Trey Sweeney,
12:29I had to look him up too and see,
12:31I remembered him as a Yankee minor leaguer
12:33who played against us in spring training
12:36when you start watching video
12:37and you realize why the organization traded for him.
12:39And given how this has gone, I'm sure I'm glad
12:42that a shortstop who was ready for the big leagues
12:44was part of that trade.
12:45So there's just a lot of people who have influence
12:51building this foundation and building this section
12:56of the season.
12:56And there'll be plenty of time to thank everybody
12:59and hopefully I can out some of their names
13:01and get a lot of people the credit they deserve
13:03because it's not just the people that you hear from
13:06or the people that you see.
13:08Tiger manager, AJ Hinch, everything feels like
13:11it's aligning for this baseball team.
13:12Look forward to talking to you again soon, all right?
13:14You got it, take care.
13:15All right, it's 97.1.