Four. More. Wins.

The Detroit Tigers, a near-unanimous preseason pick to win the AL Central, mercifully ended a drama-filled postseason for the New York Yankees by sending the Bronx Bombers golfing after just four games, winning Game 4 of the ALCS 8-1. The series was completely one-sided, with ALCS MVP Delmon Young driving in as many runs (six) as the Yankees scored during the entire series.

Four. More. Wins.

The Tigers, a team that couldn’t string together two wins for over a month earlier this year, won tonight’s game on the back of two constants throughout the entire season: strong starting pitching and a stronger Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera’s two-run home run in the 4th inning put the Tigers ahead 4-0. Max Scherzer continued the rotation’s dominance by taking a no-hitter into the 6th inning before allowing one run on two hits, outdueling Yankees ace CC Sabathia in the process.

Four. More. Wins.

Delmon Young and Jhonny Peralta, two players who were expected to put up massive numbers hitting behind Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder this season, carried the Tigers throughout this series. Young was the RBI machine that he was expected to be all season long, driving in six of the Tigers’ 19 runs this series. Peralta, one of the best two-way shortstops in baseball last season but much maligned for his lack of defensive range and impatient plate approach this season, sparked the Tigers early in the series with a couple of spectacular defensive plays, then sparked the offense later on with two home runs tonight.

Four. More. Wins.

Prince Fielder, possibly the most expensive impulse buy in human history, refused to let anyone else catch the final out, a pop-up that would have landed on Omar Infante’s head had he not moved during the play. Fielder put together one of the most spectacular seasons we’ve ever seen from a left-handed hitter in Detroit, but was overshadowed by Cabrera’s Triple Crown. Prince proved that he was much more than just a power hitter this year, consistently lining singles to the opposite field en route to his first .300 season and fifth 100-RBI season of his career.

Four. More. Wins.

The 2006 comparisons are inevitable. An ALCS sweep, an NLCS that looks like it will be a 6-7 game series, the mere presence of the St. Louis Cardinals… it’s all there. However, the two teams couldn’t be more different. The 2006 Tigers jumped out to a quick start before slumping down the stretch (36-38 in the second half), only to get hot again in the playoffs for two short series.

These Tigers have shown more consistency, going 44-32 in both the first and second halves of 2012. The starting rotation in 2006? Talented, but not like this. The 2012 version of Justin Verlander is miles better than anyone on that 2006 team. In fact, I’d be hard pressed to pick anyone from that ’06 team, other than maybe the red-hot Kenny Rogers, to pitch over anyone in the 2012 rotation. The 2006 lineup? Talented, but a bit of a mirage as well. Guys like Craig Monroe and Brandon Inge played key roles while having career years, and don’t forget the contributions of the one-and-only Chris Shelton… for 13 days, at least. Yes, Pudge, Magglio, and Carlos Guillen shouldered the load, but we all know how that ended. This year? The exact opposite. The results aren’t very spectacular, but the talent is real. Peralta and Young showed in this series how dangerous this lineup can be when Miggy and Prince are getting some help. Austin Jackson continues to put together one of the best all-around seasons in Tigers history that absolutely nobody is talking about. And then you have the best 1-2 lineup combination that baseball has seen in at least a decade, if not longer.

Above all, however, you have hunger. The 2006 team came out of nowhere to reach the World Series. Three years removed from the worst season in AL history, the Tigers weren’t expected to do what they did. Hell, I don’t even know if the team itself expected to win the AL pennant. This year? The gauntlet was laid down the moment that Prince Fielder signed on the dotted line. They were 6 wins away from winning it all last season and added arguably the best left-handed hitter in baseball (Dammit, Joey Votto, I said “arguably”). With Octavio Dotel, Gerald Laird, and Phil Coke flashing their bling on team flights all season long, the other 22+ guys in the clubhouse know what the real prize is.

Four more wins.