Away from the madness of a cigar party for a moment, Jim Leyland nearly cried. For everybody who figured there was no way he would manage the Tigers beyond this season, for all those who couldn't envision a comeback after Detroit fell behind by eight games in early May, Leyland sat in his office puffing on his own celebratory stogie, a black "2011 MLB Playoffs" hat on his head. Detroit is AL Central champion. Newcomer Doug Fister pitched the Tigers to the division title on Friday night, beating the Oakland Athletics 3-1 to secure a first-place finish for Detroit for the first time in nearly a quarter-century. Read more: http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=310916111&teams=detroit-tigers-vs-oakland-athletics
