Tigers Win Second Straight Division Title as Cabrera Inches Closer to Triple Crown:

3B Miguel Cabrera has helped power the Tigers to a second straight division title as he continues to chase the batting Triple Crown.Going into the final series of the regular season against the Kansas City Royals, the Detroit Tigers had a 3-game lead over the Chicago White Sox for the division lead. The Tigers either needed a win or a White Sox loss to win the AL Central Division Title for the second straight year. As it turned out, the White Sox put a beating on the Cleveland Indians 11 – 0 making sure the Tigers would have to win the title on their own. After four scoreless innings, the Tigers finally got a run on the scoreboard with a home run by SS Jhonny Peralta to give them a 1 – 0 lead. The Tigers then got an explosion of runs in the 6^th inning started off by the solo home run of 3B Miguel Cabrera- his 44^th homer of the season. As the Tigers went into the bottom of the 6^th inning, they were holding a 6 – 0 lead. The Royals got a couple runs back in the 6^th on a solo home run by LF Alex Gordon and run by 1B Billy Butler on a double play ball with the bases loaded. The Royals managed one more run in the 8^th inning on a single by RF Jeff Francoeur, but that is all Kansas City would get. RP Jose Valverde came in to close out the game in the 9^th for his 35^th save of the season. With the victory, the Detroit Tigers are the AL Central Division Champions for the second straight season! Congratulations on the accomplishment, and good luck in the playoffs!

Note: 3B Miguel Cabrera continues to lead all three hitting categories (home runs, RBIs, and batting average) for the Triple Crown. Cabrera took a one home run lead over Texas Ranger OF Josh Hamilton with his 44^th homerun of the season. After going 4 – for – 5 in the game, Cabrera improved his batting average to .329 and stayed ahead of LA Angels OF Mike Trout (.325). With one RBI on the day, Cabrera boosted his total to 137 RBIs- 10 ahead of Hamilton (127). Whether Cabrera finishes off the batting Triple Crown or not, he should be the AL MVP this year. His biggest competition will be Trout as the rookie outfielder has caught the eye of many fans. (Picture from Detroit Free Press)