Rivalries and Fan Base
The Tigers' rivalries with other baseball franchises have changed throughout the years, with no one rivalry standing out. Some rivalries are with nearby teams, including the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays – the latter a holdover from when the Tigers competed in the AL East. There are numerous Tigers fans throughout the state of Michigan, northwestern Ohio, southwestern Ontario, as well as a small fan base in and around the Erie, Pennsylvania area, due in part to Detroit's proximity to these regions as well as the presence of the Tigers' AA affiliate Erie SeaWolves in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Detroit Tigers have their AAA affiliate Toledo Mud Hens in Toledo, Ohio and had a AA affiliate in London, Ontario. The cities of Windsor and Sarnia, Ontario have large fanbases of loyal Detroit Tiger fans. The Detroit Tigers continue to develop a strong and long line of baseball fans in Ontario; the majority of baseball fans in southwestern Ontario are considered Tiger loyalists. Some are rivalries for first place during the regular season, with all American League teams until 1969, with American League East teams from 1969 to 1997, and with American League Central teams from 1998 until the present. Finally, some are rivalries with National League teams the Tigers have faced repeatedly in the World Series, the Chicago Cubs (four times) and St. Louis Cardinals (three times). Had the Cubs beaten the Padres in the 1984 NLCS, they would have faced the Tigers for a fifth time in the World Series.
The Cleveland Indians have the Ohio Cup against the Cincinnati Reds, but prefer the rivalry within the American League Central Division with the Detroit Tigers or, as the fans and Tom Hamilton (radio announcer) like to call them, "Motown Kitty Cats".
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