# 2012 Detroit Tigers season

The 2012 Detroit Tigers season was the team's 112th season. On October 1, the Tigers clinched the AL Central title, the club's first repeat title since 1934–1935. They finished the regular season 88–74. They defeated the Oakland Athletics in the American League Divisional Series, 3 games to 2. It was the Tigers' second consecutive ALDS win. The Tigers went on to sweep the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series before being swept themselves by the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.

## Roster moves
### Releases

* On October 29, the Tigers released relief pitcher Joel Zumaya to free agency.
* On November 1, the Tigers released outfielder Magglio Ordóñez, infielder Carlos Guillén, and starting pitcher Brad Penny to free agency.
* On December 12, the Tigers released utility infielder Will Rhymes to free agency.
* On March 12, the Tigers released relief pitcher David Pauley. On March 15, Pauley cleared waivers and became a free agent.
* On April 26, the Tigers released veteran infielder Brandon Inge after 12 seasons.

### Key injuries

* On December 16, the team announced that relief pitcher Al Alburquerque had surgery on his pitching elbow, to replace a stress fracture.
* On January 17, it was reported that designated hitter/catcher/infielder Víctor Martínez tore his ACL and needs surgery to repair it. On March 12, the team placed Martinez on the 60-day disabled list and declared him out for the season.

### Signings and key returns

* On October 28, the Tigers picked up the option on closer José Valverde.
* On November 18, the Tigers signed catcher Gerald Laird to a one-year contract. Laird had been the Tigers' primary catcher for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
* Also on November 18, the club purchased the minor league contracts of pitching prospects Casey Crosby, Tyler Stohr and Matt Hoffman; outfielder Avisaíl García and infielder Hernan Perez.
* On November 30, the Tigers re-signed second baseman Ramón Santiago to a two-year deal.
* On December 9, the Tigers announced a one-year deal with relief pitcher Octavio Dotel. There is an option for the 2013 season.
* On January 16, the Tigers avoided arbitration with starting pitcher Rick Porcello and reliever Phil Coke, signing both to one-year deals. The following day, the team agreed on one-year deals for starting pitcher Max Scherzer, outfielder Delmon Young and utilityman Don Kelly. This helps the team avoid an arbitration hearing for the 10th year in a row.
* On January 24, the Tigers signed first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million deal. As a result, Miguel Cabrera moved to third base.
* On April 20, the Tigers re-acquired pitcher Zach Miner from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for cash. Miner will report to the AA Erie SeaWolves.

### Trades

* On December 9, the Tigers traded relief pitcher Ryan Perry to the Washington Nationals for fellow reliever Collin Balester.
* On July 23, the Tigers traded pitcher Jacob Turner and two minor league prospects (catcher Rob Brantly and pitcher Brian Flynn) to the Miami Marlins for starting pitcher Aníbal Sánchez and infielder Omar Infante.
* On August 6, the Tigers acquired utilityman Jeff Baker from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league players to be named later. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves on August 31 for a player to be named later.

## Delmon Young's arrest

On April 27, 2012, an intoxicated Delmon Young was arrested for third-degree assault and an "aggravated harassment hate crime" in New York City after a confrontation with a group of Jewish tourists in which he made antisemitic remarks outside of their hotel before a series against the Yankees. Later in the day, Young issued a statement apologizing for his actions. On April 30, Young was suspended without pay for seven games, and ordered to undergo therapy.

## Individual accomplishments

* On September 27, starting pitcher Doug Fister struck out 9 batters in a row, a new American League record. It was just one short of the Major League record of 10 in a row, accomplished by Tom Seaver in 1970.
* With a .330 average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs, slugger Miguel Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown, leading the American League in all three categories. The last player to accomplish this feat was Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. He went on to win the 2012 AL Most Valuable Player Award. He also won this year's AL Hank Aaron Award, and the AL Silver Slugger Award.
* Starters Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer finished first and second among the American League strikeout leaders, with 239 and 231, respectively. Verlander finished second in a very close AL Cy Young Award race for 2012, collecting 149 points (12 first-place votes) to 153 points (13 first-place votes) for Tampa Bay Rays starter David Price.
* On October 13, during Game 1 of the ALCS, Delmon Young hit his sixth career post-season home run, setting a new franchise record. Young later won the ALCS MVP Award.
* Outfielder Austin Jackson won the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award.

### All-Stars

The Tigers sent three players to the All-Star Game: pitcher Justin Verlander (fifth appearance), third baseman Miguel Cabrera (seventh appearance, third with the Tigers), and first baseman Prince Fielder (fourth appearance, first with the Tigers). Fielder was voted in as a starter, and won the Home Run Derby with 28 home runs, the second time in his career and his first with the Tigers. Fielder also won a Silver Slugger Award.

## Standings
### 2012 American League Central

vteAL Central :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Detroit Tigers | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 50‍–‍31 | 38‍–‍43 |
| Chicago White Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3 | 45‍–‍36 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Kansas City Royals | 72 | 90 | .444 | 16 | 37‍–‍44 | 35‍–‍46 |
| Cleveland Indians | 68 | 94 | .420 | 20 | 37‍–‍44 | 31‍–‍50 |
| Minnesota Twins | 66 | 96 | .407 | 22 | 31‍–‍50 | 35‍–‍46 |

### 2012 American League playoff teams

vteDivision Winners :
| Team | W | L | Pct. |
| New York Yankees | 95 | 67 | .586 |
| Oakland Athletics | 94 | 68 | .580 |
| Detroit Tigers | 88 | 74 | .543 |
vteWild Card teams (Top 2 teams qualify for postseason) :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
| Texas Rangers | 93 | 69 | .574 | — |
| Baltimore Orioles | 93 | 69 | .574 | — |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 90 | 72 | .556 | 3 |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 89 | 73 | .549 | 4 |
| Chicago White Sox | 85 | 77 | .525 | 8 |
| Seattle Mariners | 75 | 87 | .463 | 18 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 73 | 89 | .451 | 20 |
| Kansas City Royals | 72 | 90 | .444 | 21 |
| Boston Red Sox | 69 | 93 | .426 | 24 |
| Cleveland Indians | 68 | 94 | .420 | 25 |
| Minnesota Twins | 66 | 96 | .407 | 27 |

## Game log
### Regular season

2012 game log (88–74) :
April (11–11)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
1April 5Red SoxW 3–2Valverde (1–0)Melancon (0–1)45,0271–0
2April 7Red SoxW 10–0Below (1–0)Beckett (0–1)44,7102–0
3April 8Red SoxW 13–12 (11)Below (2–0)Melancon (0–2)30,7883–0
4April 10RaysW 5–2Coke (1–0)McGee (0–1)Valverde (1)22,5744–0
5April 11RaysL 4–2Shields (1–0)Verlander (0–1)Rodney (3)28,1804–1
6April 12RaysW 7–2Balester (1–0)Niemann (0–1)30,2885–1
7April 13@ White SoxL 5–2Peavy (1–0)Scherzer (0–1)Santiago (3)38,6765–2
8April 14@ White SoxL 5–1Floyd (1–1)Wilk (0–1)33,0255–3
9April 15@ White SoxW 5–2Porcello (1–0)Sale (1–1)25,1436–3
10April 16@ RoyalsW 3–2Verlander (1–1)Duffy (1–1)14,0397–3
11April 17@ RoyalsW 3–1Dotel (1–0)Chen (0–1)Valverde (2)13,8518–3
12April 18@ RoyalsW 4–3Scherzer (1–1)Mijares (0–1)Valverde (3)14,0839–3
13April 19RangersL 10–3Darvish (2–0)Wilk (0–2)30,0299–4
–April 20RangersPostponed (rain). Rescheduled for April 21.
14April 21RangersL 10–4Harrison (3–0)Porcello (1–1)41,4279–5
15April 21RangersW 3–2Verlander (2–1)Feliz (1–1)Valverde (4)35,00110–5
16April 22RangersL 3–2 (11)Ross (3–0)Weber (0–1)Nathan (4)36,25510–6
17April 24MarinersL 7–4Vargas (3–1)Scherzer (1–2)League (6)30,07310–7
18April 25MarinersL 9–1Hernández (2–1)Wilk (0–3)28,52710–8
19April 26MarinersL 5–4Furbush (1–1)Porcello (1–2)League (7)31,45110–9
20April 27@ YankeesL 7–6Rivera (1–1)Villarreal (0–1)41,20010–10
21April 28@ YankeesW 7–5Smyly (1–0)García (0–2)44,68611–10
22April 29@ YankeesL 2–6Sabathia (3–0)Scherzer (1–3)43,08411–11
–April 30RoyalsPostponed (rain). Rescheduled for September 24. :
May (13–16)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
23May 1RoyalsW 9–3Porcello (2–2)Hochevar (2–2)30,15912–11
24May 2RoyalsL 3–2Collins (1–0)Benoit (0–1)Broxton (4)33,18712–12
25May 4White SoxW 5–4Valverde (2–0)Thornton (1–1)33,16513–12
26May 5White SoxL 3–2Jones (1–0)Valverde (2–1)Reed (1)42,40413–13
27May 6White SoxW 3–1Porcello (3–2)Axelrod (0–1)Valverde (5)39,55814–13
28May 7@ MarinersL 3–2Delabar (1–0)Dotel (1–1)14,46214–14
29May 8@ MarinersW 6–4Verlander (3–1)Millwood (0–4)Valverde (6)13,45515–14
30May 9@ MarinersL 2–1Vargas (4–2)Putkonen (0–1)League (8)15,65515–15
31May 10@ AthleticsW 10–6Scherzer (2–3)Colón (3–3)11,51316–15
32May 11@ AthleticsL 11–4Milone (5–2)Porcello (3–3)26,72116–16
33May 12@ AthleticsL 3–1McCarthy (3–3)Fister (0–1)Fuentes (2)22,07716–17
34May 13@ AthleticsW 3–1Verlander (4–1)Parker (1–1)Valverde (7)17,14717–17
35May 14@ White SoxL 7–5Stewart (1–1)Putkonen (0–2)Reed (3)25,53817–18
36May 15@ White SoxW 10–8Balester (2–0)Ohman (0–2)Dotel (1)21,47318–18
37May 16TwinsL 11–7Burnett (1–0)Below (2–1)33,95518–19
38May 17TwinsL 4–3Walters (1–1)Fister (0–2)Capps (8)37,84018–20
39May 18PiratesW 6–0Verlander (5–1)Morton (2–4)41,66119–20
40May 19PiratesL 4–3Burnett (2–2)Smyly (1–1)Hanrahan (9)42,95319–21
41May 20PiratesW 4–3Scherzer (3–3)Correia (1–5)Benoit (1)39,97120–21
42May 22@ IndiansL 5–3Jiménez (5–3)Porcello (3–4)Perez (14)15,04920–22
43May 23@ IndiansL 4–2Pestano (2–0)Coke (1–1)Perez (15)22,00020–23
44May 24@ IndiansL 2–1Masterson (2–3)Verlander (5–2)Perez (16)23,62220–24
45May 25@ TwinsW 10–6Smyly (2–1)Swarzak (0–4)37,68821–24
46May 26@ TwinsW 6–3Scherzer (4–3)Pavano (2–4)Valverde (8)37,36022–24
47May 27@ TwinsW 4–3Villarreal (1–1)Capps (0–3)Valverde (9)38,71023–24
48May 28@ Red SoxL 7–4Doubront (5–2)Fister (0–3)37,92123–25
49May 29@ Red SoxL 6–3Bard (5–5)Verlander (5–3)Aceves (12)37,21623–26
50May 30@ Red SoxL 6–4Albers (1–0)Dotel (1–2)Aceves (13)37,19523–27
51May 31@ Red SoxW 7–3Scherzer (5–3)Beckett (4–5)37,62924–27 :
June (14–13)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
52June 1YankeesL 9–4Sabathia (7–2)Crosby (0–1)Soriano (7)41,83124–28
53June 2YankeesW 4–3Valverde (3–1)Phelps (1–2)44,59325–28
54June 3YankeesL 5–1Hughes (5–5)Verlander (5–4)42,41925–29
55June 5IndiansL 4–2Jiménez (6–4)Smyly (2–2)Perez (18)33,25825–30
56June 6IndiansL 9–6Gómez (4–4)Scherzer (5–4)Perez (19)31,35025–31
57June 7IndiansW 7–5Crosby (1–1)Lowe (7–4)Valverde (10)40,85126–31
58June 8@ RedsL 6–5 (10)LeCure (2–1)Coke (1–2)38,56326–32
59June 9@ RedsW 3–2Villarreal (2–1)Marshall (1–3)Valverde (11)42,44327–32
60June 10@ RedsW 7–6Villarreal (3–1)Chapman (4–2)Valverde (12)34,05628–32
61June 12@ CubsL 4–3Mármol (1–2)Coke (1–3)Camp (1)41,16428–33
62June 13@ CubsW 8–4Porcello (4–4)Garza (2–5)41,32629–33
63June 14@ CubsW 5–3Verlander (6–4)Wood (0–3)Valverde (13)42,29230–33
64June 15RockiesL 12–4 (10)Belisle (3–2)Valverde (3–2)41,87830–34
65June 16RockiesW 4–1Fister (1–3)Friedrich (4–3)41,80031–34
66June 17RockiesW 5–0Scherzer (6–4)Guthrie (3–6)40,61932–34
67June 19CardinalsW 6–3Verlander (7–4)Lynn (10–3)Coke (1)36,73333–34
68June 20CardinalsL 3–1Westbrook (6–6)Porcello (4–5)38,87133–35
69June 21CardinalsW 2–1 (10)Benoit (1–1)Marté (0–1)40,77634–35
70June 22@ PiratesL 4–1Burnett (8–2)Fister (1–4)Hanrahan (18)37,96534–36
71June 23@ PiratesL 4–1Lincoln (4–2)Scherzer (6–5)Hanrahan (19)38,73434–37
72June 24@ PiratesW 3–2Verlander (8–4)Resop (0–3)35,17935–37
73June 25@ RangersW 8–2Porcello (5–5)Grimm (1–1)36,92036–37
74June 26@ RangersL 7–5Darvish (10–4)Smyly (2–3)Nathan (17)39,56136–38
75June 27@ RangersL 13–9Oswalt (2–0)Fister (1–5)43,37936–39
76June 28@ RaysW 5–2Scherzer (7–5)Shields (7–5)Valverde (14)20,53237–39
77June 29@ RaysL 4–2Price (11–4)Verlander (8–5)Rodney (22)19,55737–40
78June 30@ RaysW 6–2Porcello (6–5)Hellickson (4–4)29,44338–40 :
July (16–10)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
79July 1@ RaysW 5–3Smyly (3–3)Cobb (3–5)Valverde (15)21,87439–40
80July 2TwinsL 6–4Swarzak (2–4)Fister (1–6)Perkins (3)37,40639–41
81July 3TwinsL 8–6Gray (5–0)Villarreal (3–2)Perkins (4)36,75739–42
82July 4TwinsW 5–1Verlander (9–5)Duensing (1–5)41,02340–42
83July 5TwinsW 7–3Dotel (2–2)Burnett (2–1)33,35041–42
84July 6RoyalsW 4–2Smyly (4–3)Sánchez (1–5)Valverde (16)39,14442–42
85July 7RoyalsW 8–7Fister (2–6)Chen (7–8)39,39243–42
86July 8RoyalsW 7–1Scherzer (8–5)Teaford (1–2)36,69344–42
87July 13@ OriolesW 7–2Fister (3–6)Hammel (8–6)35,56645–42
88July 14@ OriolesL 8–6 (13)Gregg (3–2)Benoit (1–2)43,12545–43
89July 15@ OriolesW 4–0Verlander (10–5)González (1–1)30,43946–43
90July 16AngelsW 8–6Dotel (3–2)Hawkins (2–2)Valverde (17)36,80647–43
91July 17AngelsL 13–0Richards (3–1)Turner (0–1)33,95047–44
92July 18AngelsW 7–2Fister (4–6)Wilson (9–6)37,91548–44
93July 19AngelsW 5–1Scherzer (9–5)Williams (6–7)40,31149–44
94July 20White SoxW 4–2Verlander (11–5)Peavy (7–7)Valverde (18)44,57250–44
95July 21White SoxW 7–1Porcello (7–5)Sale (11–3)42,88851–44
96July 22White SoxW 6–4Turner (1–1)Humber (4–5)Benoit (2)41,28152–44
97July 24@ IndiansL 3–2Smith (6–2)Fister (4–7)Perez (28)23,63752–45
98July 25@ IndiansW 5–3Scherzer (10–5)Lowe (8–9)Valverde (19)24,02953–45
99July 26@ IndiansL 5–3Smith (7–2)Verlander (11–6)Perez (29)34,57953–46
100July 27@ Blue JaysL 8–3Villanueva (6–0)Porcello (7–6)33,96253–47
101July 28@ Blue JaysL 5–1Álvarez (7–7)Sánchez (5–8)41,83253–48
102July 29@ Blue JaysW 4–1Fister (5–7)Cecil (2–4)Valverde (20)35,97554–48
103July 30@ Red SoxL 7–3Buchholz (9–3)Scherzer (10–6)37,78454–49
104July 31@ Red SoxL 4–1 (6)Mortensen (1–0)Verlander (11–7)Morales (1)37,27554–50 :
August (16–11)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
105August 1@ Red SoxW 7–5Porcello (8–6)Cook (2–5)Valverde (21)37,21355–50
106August 3IndiansW 10–2Sánchez (6–8)Masterson (7–10)41,50156–50
107August 4IndiansW 6–1Fister (6–7)Jiménez (8–11)42,74457–50
108August 5IndiansW 10–8 (10)Downs (1–0)Perez (0–3)38,00758–50
109August 6YankeesW 7–2Verlander (12–7)Nova (10–6)41,38159–50
110August 7YankeesW 6–5Porcello (9–6)Hughes (11–9)Valverde (22)39,76060–50
111August 8YankeesL 12–8Sabathia (12–3)Sánchez (6–9)41,87960–51
112August 9YankeesL 4–3Rapada (3–0)Benoit (1–3)Soriano (27)40,94060–52
113August 10@ RangersW 6–2Scherzer (11–6)Feldman (6–7)47,25561–52
114August 11@ RangersL 2–1Adams (2–3)Villarreal (3–3)48,30361–53
115August 12@ RangersL 8–3Darvish (12–8)Porcello (9–7)45,75261–54
116August 13@ TwinsL 9–3Deduno (4–0)Sánchez (6–10)34,36661–55
117August 14@ TwinsW 8–4Fister (7–7)Duensing (2–8)37,54462–55
118August 15@ TwinsW 5–1Scherzer (12–6)De Vries (2–4)37,11863–55
119August 17OriolesW 5–3Benoit (2–3)O'Day (6–1)Valverde (23)41,62064–55
120August 18OriolesL 3–2Britton (2–1)Porcello (9–8)Johnson (36)42,13264–56
121August 19OriolesL 7–5Chen (12–7)Fister (7–8)Johnson (37)40,51164–57
122August 21Blue JaysW 5–3Scherzer (13–6)Romero (8–11)Valverde (24)39,49965–57
123August 22Blue JaysW 3–2Sánchez (7–10)Laffey (3–5)Valverde (25)37,22566–57
124August 23Blue JaysW 3–2 (11)Benoit (3–3)Jenkins (0–1)39,91067–57
125August 24AngelsL 2–1Greinke (11–5)Porcello (9–9)Richards (1)39,35667–58
126August 25AngelsW 5–3Dotel (4–2)Richards (3–3)Valverde (26)41,97068–58
127August 26AngelsW 5–2Scherzer (14–6)Santana (7–11)40,07469–58
128August 28@ RoyalsL 9–8Crow (3–1)Villarreal (3–4)Holland (8)13,60169–59
129August 29@ RoyalsL 1–0Chen (10–10)Sánchez (7–11)Holland (9)13,02469–60
130August 30@ RoyalsL 2–1Guthrie (6–12)Porcello (9–10)Herrera (1)12,99769–61
131August 31White SoxW 7–4Dotel (5–2)Peavy (9–10)Valverde (27)36,72170–61 :
September (16–12)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
132September 1White SoxW 5–1Scherzer (15–6)Liriano (5–11)40,05971–61
133September 2White SoxW 4–2Verlander (13–7)Sale (15–6)Valverde (28)42,19272–61
134September 3IndiansL 3–2Kluber (1–3)Downs (1–1)Pestano (2)35,41872–62
135September 4IndiansL 3–2Masterson (11–12)Porcello (9–11)Perez (34)27,72972–63
136September 5IndiansW 7–1Fister (8–8)Jiménez (9–15)28,88173–63
137September 7@ AngelsL 3–2Frieri (4–0)Dotel (5–3)40,10473–64
138September 8@ AngelsL 6–1Wilson (12–9)Verlander (13–8)41,15473–65
139September 9@ AngelsL 3–2Greinke (14–5)Sánchez (7–12)Frieri (18)38,21673–66
140September 10@ White SoxL 6–1Quintana (6–4)Porcello (9–12)30,28773–67
141September 11@ White SoxW 5–3Fister (9–8)Peavy (10–11)Valverde (29)26,50474–67
142September 12@ White SoxW 8–6Scherzer (16–6)Floyd (9–10)Valverde (30)30,66775–67
–September 13@ White SoxPostponed (rain). Rescheduled for September 17.
143September 14@ IndiansW 4–0Verlander (14–8)Kluber (1–4)17,18576–67
144September 15@ IndiansW 5–3Sánchez (8–12)Masterson (11–14)Valverde (31)22,84977–67
145September 16@ IndiansL 7–6Rogers (2–3)Valverde (3–3)17,23377–68
146September 17@ White SoxL 5–4Jones (8–0)Fister (9–9)Reed (27)29,13077–69
147September 18AthleticsW 12–2Downs (2–1)Griffin (6–1)31,24378–69
148September 19AthleticsW 6–2Verlander (15–8)Anderson (4–2)29,73479–69
149September 20AthleticsL 12–4Neshek (2–1)Sánchez (8–13)34,63579–70
–September 21TwinsPostponed (rain). Rescheduled for September 23.
150September 22TwinsW 8–0Fister (10–9)Deduno (6–5)40,58680–70
151September 23TwinsL 10–4Diamond (12–8)Scherzer (16–7)40,43880–71
152September 23TwinsL 2–1 (10)Burton (2–1)Valverde (3–4)Perkins (14)39,83980–72
153September 24RoyalsW 6–2Verlander (16–8)Hochevar (8–15)31,52181–72
154September 25RoyalsW 2–0Sánchez (9–13)Chen (11–13)29,04882–72
155September 26RoyalsW 5–4Benoit (4–3)Herrera (4–3)Valverde (32)32,36083–72
156September 27RoyalsW 5–4Benoit (5–3)Collins (5–4)33,01984–72
157September 28@ TwinsL 4–2Burton (3–1)Villarreal (3–5)Perkins (16)30,31584–73
158September 29@ TwinsW 6–4Verlander (17–8)Walters (2–5)Valverde (33)32,83985–73
159September 30@ TwinsW 2–1Coke (2–3)Burton (3–2)Valverde (34)32,55486–73 :
October (2–1)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
160October 1@ RoyalsW 6–3Porcello (10–12)Chen (11–14)Valverde (35)15,31287–73
161October 2@ RoyalsL 4–2Guthrie (8–12)Fister (10–10)Holland (16)14,28387–74
162October 3@ RoyalsW 1–0Marte (1–0)Mendoza (8–10)Putkonen (1)30,38388–74 :

### Postseason
#### American League Division Series

American League Division Series vs Oakland Athletics (Tigers win series 3–2)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
1October 6AthleticsW 3–1Verlander (1–0)Parker (0–1)Valverde (1)43,3231–0
2October 7AthleticsW 5–4Alburquerque (1–0)Balfour (0–1)40,6842–0
3October 9@ AthleticsL 2–0Anderson (1–0)Sánchez (0–1)Balfour (1)37,0902–1
4October 10@ AthleticsL 4–3Cook (1–0)Valverde (0–1)36,3852–2
5October 11@ AthleticsW 6–0Verlander (2–0)Parker (0–2)36,3933–2 :

#### American League Championship Series

American League Championship Series vs New York Yankees (Tigers win series 4–0)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
1October 13@ YankeesW 6–4 (12)Smyly (1–0)Phelps (0–1)47,1221–0
2October 14@ YankeesW 3–0Sánchez (1–0)Kuroda (0–1)Coke (1)47,0822–0
3October 16YankeesW 2–1Verlander (1–0)Hughes (0–1)Coke (2)42,9703–0
–October 17YankeesPostponed (rain). Rescheduled for October 18.
4October 18YankeesW 8–1Scherzer (1–0)Sabathia (0–1)42,4774–0 :

#### World Series

World Series vs San Francisco Giants (Giants win series 4–0)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveCrowdRecord
1October 24@ GiantsL 8–3Zito (1–0)Verlander (0–1)42,8550–1
2October 25@ GiantsL 2–0Bumgarner (1–0)Fister (0–1)Romo (1)42,9820–2
3October 27GiantsL 2–0Vogelsong (1–0)Sánchez (0–1)Romo (2)42,2620–3
4October 28GiantsL 4–3 (10)Casilla (1–0)Coke (0–1)Romo (3)42,1520–4 :

### Record vs. opponents

| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
| Baltimore | – | 13–5 | 6–2 | 4–4 | 3–3 | 5–4 | 2–7 | 5–2 | 9–9 | 4–5 | 8–1 | 10–8 | 2–5 | 11–7 | 11–7 |
| Boston | 5–13 | – | 6–2 | 5–3 | 5–5 | 4–3 | 0–6 | 4–3 | 5–13 | 1–8 | 5–4 | 9–9 | 2–6 | 7–11 | 11–7 |
| Chicago | 2–6 | 2–6 | – | 11–7 | 6–12 | 6–12 | 3–5 | 14–4 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 8–1 | 4–3 | 6–3 | 6–4 | 9–9 |
| Cleveland | 4–4 | 3–5 | 7–11 | – | 10–8 | 8–10 | 5–4 | 6–12 | 1–5 | 2–8 | 4–4 | 4–4 | 4–5 | 2–4 | 8–10 |
| Detroit | 3–3 | 5–5 | 12–6 | 8–10 | – | 13–5 | 5–5 | 10–8 | 4–6 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 5–2 | 3–7 | 4–2 | 11–7 |
| Kansas City | 4–5 | 3–4 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 5–13 | – | 4–5 | 7–11 | 3–4 | 5–4 | 1–7 | 4–2 | 4–5 | 2–6 | 8–10 |
| Los Angeles | 7–2 | 6–0 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 5–5 | 5–4 | – | 6–3 | 4–5 | 9–10 | 11–8 | 1–9 | 10–9 | 4–4 | 12–6 |
| Minnesota | 2–5 | 3–4 | 4–14 | 12–6 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 3–6 | – | 3–4 | 4–5 | 2–8 | 1–5 | 2–8 | 2–5 | 9–9 |
| New York | 9–9 | 13–5 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 6–4 | 4–3 | 5–4 | 4–3 | – | 5–5 | 6–3 | 8–10 | 4–3 | 11–7 | 13–5 |
| Oakland | 5–4 | 8–1 | 3–3 | 8–2 | 3–4 | 4–5 | 10–9 | 5–4 | 5–5 | – | 12–7 | 5–4 | 11–8 | 5–4 | 10–8 |
| Seattle | 1–8 | 4–5 | 1–8 | 4–4 | 5–1 | 7–1 | 8–11 | 8–2 | 3–6 | 7–12 | – | 4–6 | 9–10 | 6–3 | 8–10 |
| Tampa Bay | 8–10 | 9–9 | 3–4 | 4–4 | 2–5 | 2–4 | 9–1 | 5–1 | 10–8 | 4–5 | 6–4 | – | 5–4 | 14–4 | 9–9 |
| Texas | 5–2 | 6–2 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 7–3 | 5–4 | 9–10 | 8–2 | 3–4 | 8–11 | 10–9 | 4–5 | – | 6–3 | 14–4 |
| Toronto | 7–11 | 11–7 | 4–6 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 6–2 | 4–4 | 5–2 | 7–11 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 4–14 | 3–6 | – | 9–9 |
* view
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* Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2012

### Roster

(*) = Was on team for part of 2012 season.

### Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | AVG | SB |
| Alex Avila | 116 | 367 | 42 | 89 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 48 | .243 | 2 |
| Jeff Baker | 15 | 35 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .200 | 0 |
| Quintin Berry | 94 | 291 | 44 | 75 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 29 | .258 | 21 |
| Brennan Boesch | 132 | 470 | 52 | 113 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 54 | .240 | 6 |
| Miguel Cabrera | 161 | 622 | 109 | 205 | 40 | 0 | 44 | 139 | .330 | 4 |
| Andy Dirks | 88 | 314 | 56 | 101 | 18 | 5 | 8 | 35 | .322 | 1 |
| Brad Eldred | 5 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .188 | 0 |
| Prince Fielder | 162 | 581 | 83 | 182 | 33 | 1 | 30 | 108 | .313 | 1 |
| Avisaíl García | 23 | 47 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .319 | 0 |
| Bryan Holaday | 6 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | 0 |
| Omar Infante | 64 | 226 | 27 | 58 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 20 | .257 | 7 |
| Brandon Inge | 9 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .100 | 0 |
| Austin Jackson | 137 | 543 | 103 | 163 | 29 | 10 | 16 | 66 | .300 | 12 |
| Don Kelly | 75 | 113 | 14 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | .186 | 2 |
| Gerald Laird | 63 | 174 | 24 | 49 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 11 | .282 | 0 |
| Jhonny Peralta | 150 | 531 | 58 | 127 | 32 | 3 | 13 | 63 | .239 | 1 |
| Hernán Pérez | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 0 |
| Ryan Raburn | 66 | 205 | 14 | 35 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .171 | 1 |
| Ramón Santiago | 93 | 228 | 19 | 47 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 17 | .206 | 1 |
| Omir Santos | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .125 | 0 |
| Clete Thomas | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Danny Worth | 43 | 74 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .216 | 0 |
| Delmon Young | 151 | 574 | 54 | 153 | 27 | 1 | 18 | 74 | .267 | 0 |
| Matt Young | 5 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .100 | 0 |
| Pitcher Totals | 162 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 162 | 5476 | 726 | 1467 | 279 | 39 | 163 | 698 | .268 | 59 |

### Starters

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | R | ER | BB | K |
| Casey Crosby | 1 | 1 | 9.49 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12+1⁄3 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9 |
| Doug Fister | 10 | 10 | 3.45 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 161+2⁄3 | 73 | 62 | 37 | 137 |
| Rick Porcello | 10 | 12 | 4.59 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 176+1⁄3 | 101 | 90 | 44 | 107 |
| Aníbal Sánchez | 4 | 6 | 3.74 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 74+2⁄3 | 36 | 31 | 15 | 57 |
| Max Scherzer | 16 | 7 | 3.74 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 187+2⁄3 | 82 | 78 | 60 | 231 |
| Drew Smyly | 4 | 3 | 3.99 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 99+1⁄3 | 49 | 44 | 33 | 94 |
| Jacob Turner | 1 | 1 | 8.03 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12+1⁄3 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 7 |
| Justin Verlander | 17 | 8 | 2.64 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 238+1⁄3 | 81 | 70 | 60 | 239 |
| Adam Wilk | 0 | 3 | 8.18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 7 |

### Bullpen

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | R | ER | BB | K |
| Al Alburquerque | 0 | 0 | 0.68 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 13+1⁄3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 18 |
| Collin Balester | 2 | 0 | 6.50 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 |
| Duane Below | 2 | 1 | 3.88 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 46+1⁄3 | 25 | 20 | 8 | 29 |
| Joaquín Benoit | 5 | 3 | 3.68 | 73 | 0 | 2 | 71 | 31 | 29 | 22 | 84 |
| Phil Coke | 2 | 3 | 4.00 | 66 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 28 | 24 | 18 | 51 |
| Octavio Dotel | 5 | 3 | 3.57 | 57 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 23 | 23 | 12 | 62 |
| Darin Downs | 2 | 1 | 3.48 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 20+2⁄3 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 20 |
| Luis Marte | 1 | 0 | 2.82 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 22+1⁄3 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 19 |
| José Ortega | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2+2⁄3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Luke Putkonen | 0 | 2 | 3.94 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Daniel Schlereth | 0 | 0 | 10.29 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 6 |
| José Valverde | 3 | 4 | 3.78 | 71 | 0 | 35 | 69 | 34 | 29 | 27 | 48 |
| Brayan Villarreal | 3 | 5 | 2.63 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 54+2⁄3 | 20 | 16 | 28 | 66 |
| Thad Weber | 0 | 1 | 9.00 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Team Pitching Totals | 88 | 74 | 3.75 | 162 | 162 | 40 | 1430+2⁄3 | 670 | 596 | 438 | 1318 |

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Toledo Mud Hens | International League | Phil Nevin |
| AA | Erie SeaWolves | Eastern League | Chris Cron |
| A | Lakeland Flying Tigers | Florida State League | Dave Huppert |
| A | West Michigan Whitecaps | Midwest League | Ernie Young |
| A-Short Season | Connecticut Tigers | New York–Penn League | Andrew Graham |
| Rookie | GCL Tigers | Gulf Coast League | Basilio Cabrera |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Lakeland