It was tied 3 - 3 in the bottom of the ninth. There were two outs with two runners on, and Magglio Ordonez came the plate and hit a home run!!

Woo hoo!

The Tigers are going to the World Series!!!

Coverage from the AP:

Magglio Ordonez lofted a high fly ball to left field and when it landed, a most amazing thing: the Detroit Tigers in the World Series!

Written off by the entire baseball world only three years ago, the Tigers made it official Saturday. They're back, and on the prowl.

AFP has good coverage as well:

Magglio Ordonez smashed two home runs, the second a game-winning three-run blast in the ninth inning, to give Detroit a 6-3 victory over Oakland and a trip to the World Series.

The Venezuelan outfielder smacked a fastball from Oakland ace relief pitcher Huston Street over the leftfield wall to complete a sweep of the best-of-seven American League championship series by send the unlikely Tigers.

After 12 consecutive losing seasons and just three years after losing a league record 119 games, the Tigers reached the World Series exactly 22 years to the day after winning their most recent Major League Baseball crown.

The Tigers will host game one of the World Series here next Saturday against the winner of the National League championship, either St. Louis or the New York Mets.

Placido Polanco was just named ALCS MVP.

From the Detroit News:

They knew.

The moment Magglio Ordonez hit the ball, the Tigers knew. Rising up as one, the fans did, too. Everyone did.

This team -- this incredible Tigers team of 2006 -- is headed for the World Series.

There it went, into the night, Ordonez's game-winning home run with two on and two out off Huston Street in the bottom of the ninth to give the Tigers a 6-3 victory on Saturday over the Oakland A's -- and a four-game sweep of their series.

There it went, soaring over left-field fence. etching itself into Detroit sports lore.. Craig Monroe, at second base, raised both arms. Placido Polanco, who'd been on first, was celebrating by the time he reached third.

They knew. But everyone did.

And Magglio, who watched from home last year while his former team, the Chicago White Sox, won it all without him, trotted around the bases in every kind of triumph imaginable -- one arm raised all the way.

"World Series-bound and picking up steam."

It was the refrain in 1968, came to life again in 1984 -- and rings true once more.

Cross-posted from Wizbang!