DETROIT -- The story began in spring training in Lakeland, Fla., with high expectations and visions of grandeur amid the palm trees. The Detroit Tigers were so stacked with power pitching and middle-of-the-order thump, an American League Central title was considered a foregone conclusion. Lots of observers predicted they would win the division by 15 games. If they stayed healthy and mentally engaged, maybe they could cruise home up by 20.

Phil Coke set off a wild celebration at Comerica Park when he recorded the final out of Game 4. Leon Halip/Getty Images

In hindsight, the hot sun and the smell of cocoa butter in Florida might have clouded everybody's judgment. When the Tigers were muddling along with a 26-32 record in early June, the roster's warts were readily apparent. Justin Verlander didn't have enough help in the rotation. Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Austin Jackson didn't have enough help in the batting order. The bullpen was spotty, the defense was downright odious at times, and the Chicago White Sox were showing lots of staying power. All those factors combined to make the regular season more of a grind than anyone had anticipated.

"We just had faith in each other and our abilities,'' Verlander said. "That's why we play 162 games. It's not a half a season. It's where you are when you finish.''

The Tigers persevered, making the playoffs with 88 victories, and went the distance to eliminate Oakland in the Division Series. And now, thanks to an 8-1 victory Thursday, they have put the New York Yankees out of their misery and can call themselves American League champions.

This much is true: When it's late October, girls are standing atop the dugout singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' '' and the air is thick with promise and chants of "Sweep!'' no one is going to remember or care that you underachieved in April and May.

Detroit's 11th World Series appearance became a reality when Phil Coke threw a 1-1 fastball and Jayson Nix lofted a routine popup to the right side of the infield. Tigers second baseman Omar Infante had designs on catching the ball, but peeled off in the name of self-preservation when Fielder -- all 5-foot-11, 275 pounds of him -- waved frantically to stake his claim. In the 313 area code, Lions nose tackle Ndamukong Suh might be the only athlete capable of asserting his territorial rights more emphatically.

There was poignancy and poetic justice in the moment, given Fielder's baseball lineage. He spent several years hanging around the Detroit clubhouse as an elementary schooler in the early 1990s when his father, Cecil, was cranking out 40 and 50 homers a year for the Tigers. He signed with Detroit for $214 million as a free agent last January, and this was the type of moment he envisioned when sitting on that podium with his son Jadyn, Tigers owner Mike Ilitch, general manager Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland.

"You always imagine that as a kid,'' Fielder said. "In '96 when my dad was in New York, I saw Charlie Hayes catch the last out of the World Series. I always wanted to catch one and feel like that. It's pretty cool.''

Said Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon: "He was ready to bear-hug that ball.''

Although teamwork, fortitude, Cabrera's Triple Crown performance and the steadying influence of Leyland make for entertaining plot lines, the real story of Detroit's postseason has taken place 60 feet, six inches from home plate. Starting pitching drove the Tigers down the stretch, when they posted a 19-13 record to pass the fading White Sox and win the division. Doug Fister's return to full health helped considerably, and Anibal Sanchez made a big difference after the Tigers acquired him in a deadline deal with the Miami Marlins in late July.