Detroit Tigers clinch losing record for fifth-straight season

DETROIT – They held out until the final week of the season, but with a loss Tuesday in Minnesota, the Detroit Tigers guaranteed they will finish with a losing record for the fifth year in a row.

Following an 8-3 stretch against first-place teams that brought the Tigers within four games of .500, they have dropped four out of their last five games -- including three of four to the worst teams in the AL Central.

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Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Twins was Detroit’s 82nd, guaranteeing the Tigers will never reach .500 in 2021.

In the four previous years, the Tigers finished with the worst record in MLB twice, the third-worst record once and the fifth-worst record once. To flirt with .500 until the last week of the season is a step in the right direction.

The Tigers have two more games at Minnesota before they end the season with three against the White Sox in Chicago.