Yup. 2006 is what I think of when watching this playoff run. Just the context that 2006 happened in.
In 2003 we were the laughing stock of sports. In 2004, we signed Pudge. Guys like Dmitri Young, Carlos Guillen, and Pudge made 2004 fun to watch but clearly we didn't have the pieces to make a winning team. In 2005, we got Ordonez and had a promising start to the season, but there was a lot of clubhouse drama and in general, was a less fun year than 2004, and a step backwards.
In 2006, Kenny Rogers was our big free agent signing and nobody had any expectations. But Chris Shelton came out of the gate like the second coming of Babe Ruth, Bonderman, Maroth and Robertson were pitching WAY over their heads. Rogers was a fantastic mentor. Verlander starting to come into his own. Nobody expected anything, and suddenly we were tearing the league up. Coming out of nowhere and beating the Yankees in the ALDS was something I don't think any Tigers fan will ever forget, especially when the team came out and partied with the fans. Seemed like such a down to earth team, relatable to the fans and nobody in their wildest dreams expected it. Anyway that's precisely what the 2024 tigers reminded me of.