But there was one more special moment at Comerica Park. Relief pitcher Alex Lange came out of the Tigers' bullpen, heading to the mound, capping a long, tedious, difficult return from an avulsion in his right lat that required season-ending surgery 15 months ago.

Sitting in first place with the best record in the American League, the Detroit Tigers have been on pace to get the bye in the playoffs. 8-2 in their last 10 ga

The Tigers optioned Lange to Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

When the Tigers were making an improbable run to the postseason at the end of last season, Lange was riveted to the TV.

Alex Lange quickly became a staple of the Detroit Tigers’ pitching corps after joining the team in 2021. He only continued to progress with more service time under his belt, eventually serving as the franchise’s full-time closer,

The Tigers designated infielder Ryan Kreidler for assignment and called up lefty Drew Sommers. Read more at MLB Trade Rumors.

Finnegan has emerged as a reliable closing option for Detroit, allowing no runs over seven appearances while collecting four saves. His 0.00 ERA, 0.39 WHIP, and .083 batting average against since joining the Tigers rank among the best in baseball.

Detroit Tigers reliever Tommy Kahnle owns a 5.10 ERA over 47⅔ innings in 50 games during the 2025 season, including 22 runs in his last 14⅓ innings.

The bullpen door swung open after the final out of the eighth inning, and on came Aerosmith’s song: "Sweet Emotion." It was Alex Lange’s entrance music when he was the Tigers’ closer two years ago. It