Tigers are World Series bound

The Detroit Tigersadvanced tothe World Series for the first time since the days of Sparky, Trammell and Morris, with a 6-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics Saturday night to sweep the series.

Magglio Ordonez hit his second home run of the game into the stands of Comerica Park in the bottom of the ninth for a three-run, walk-off home run to bring the Tigers to the World Series for the first time since 1984.

"It was a fastball and I pulled it and I hit it good," said Ordonez to Fox Sports after the historic hit off Oakland reliever Hutson Street that also scored Craig Monroe and Placido Polanco. "I hit it out of the park and I am excited."

The Tigers advanced to the World Series 22 years to the day that they last won the title. In the 1984 series Detroit beat the San Diego Padres four games to one with a team featuring Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish and manager Sparky Anderson stalking the sidelines.

This year's squad wasn't expected to contend for the Central Division, let alone the World Series, but manager Jim Leyland, as wily as Anderson in his heyday, brought a franchise that had struggled in recent years to major-league baseball's final series.

"Nobody could have expected this. It's unreal," said Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline, currently a team official.

Thegamewas in doubt until the final inning, thoughthe A'sknew they had their backs against the wall, down 3-0 in the series.

Both teams had a chance to break open the game in the late innings, but failed to score with the bases loaded.

The Tigers had their chance in the seventh inning, when left-fielder Monroe walked, second baseman Polanco singled and outfielder Magglio Ordonez walked to load the bases for Carlos Guillen. But Oakland closer Street came in and Guillen hit a sharp ball to Eric Chavez at third base to start an inning-ending double play.

The Tigers gavethe Athleticstheir own chance the following inning, as reliever Jason Grilli walked Eric Chavez, Jay Payton and Nick Swisher to load the bases with two out. But his replacement Wilfredo Ledezma forced Marco Scutaro to pop a foul ball out to end the threat.

Ordonez starts the rally

Ordonez had tied the game in the sixth inning with a solo home run into the stands in left field to help rally the Tigers from an early three-run deficit, in a game in which both starting pitchers left the game without a decision.

Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman got off to a rough start, allowing two runs in the first inning to give Oakland hopes of extending the series.

Milton Bradley doubled to deep left centre to score Mark Kotsay, and Chavez scored Bradley with a shot down the first base line that a fan grabbed in the stands for a ground rule double.

But Bonderman, the former first-round pick of the Athletics, made the team that traded him pay, settling down in the second inning to retire Swisher, Scutaro and D'Angelo Jimenez in just five pitches.

Jay Payton put the A's on the scoreboard again in the top of the fourth with a solo home run, his first of the post-season, but that was it for the A's against Bonderman, who finished with a no-decision in 6 1/3 innings.

Dan Haren finally gave the A's a decent start, striking out seven batters, but he lasted only five innings. It was in the fifth inning that the Tigers got to Haren.

Chavez opened the door in the inning with an error on a throw to first base to allow Brandon Inge to move to second base off a single. Curtis Granderson then reached for a Haren pitch and hit it into right field to score Inge. Monroe then doubled to left to score Granderson and bring the Tigers within one run, setting up Ordonez to hit the first of his two home runs the following inning.

The big outfielder finished the game with four RBIs and two home runs, but he wasn't the only star. Polancohad three hits, including aninth-inning single two pitches ahead of Ordonez's pennant-winning homer to give Detroit a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday and a four-game sweep.

Polanco was selected MVP after hitting .529 (9 for 17) in the four games and extending his post-season hitting streak to nine games — dating back to 2001 with St. Louis.

Oakland's Milton Bradley went 3 for 4 with a run and RBI to lead the Athletics in the game, but once again his team failed to score enough to compete in the series.

Detroit will face the winner of the National League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets.