The Michigan State Spartans basketball program will head to Downtown Detroit on Wednesday afternoon to support a local professional sports team that is on one of the more magical playoff runs in the history of the sport.
Coach Tom Izzo and his team will be in attendance to watch the Detroit Tigers compete in Game 3 of the American League Divisional Series at Comerica Park. It has been 10 years since the Tigers have hosted a playoff game, and the chances of reaching this point were 0.2% in mid-August.
See you Wednesday ❕🐅 https://t.co/eleYyxCVvr
— Michigan State Men’s Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) October 7, 2024
Making the 91-mile trip down from East Lansing, the Spartans could not miss an opportunity to experience not just the contest but the fan atmosphere surrounding them.
The Spartans have been tuned in throughout the playoffs, staying involved with the local baseball team’s improbable success. Even last week, during pre-practice warmups, they were seen celebrating the Tigers’ win in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series over the Houston Astros.
Michigan State Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) was dialed into the Tigers game today 🔥
🎥: @mwenzel2 pic.twitter.com/K5mpD8N1FM
— Natalie Kerwin (@NatalieKerwin1) October 2, 2024
Izzo is in his 30th season as the Spartans’ head coach and has seen the Tigers in many years of playoff action, including two World Series appearances (2006 & 2012). It surely means a lot for him to experience this but more so for his players to be able to see what energy that Comerica Park brings.
Several of the players on the roster were 10-11 years old when the Tigers last made the ALDS in 2014 and have little to no frame of reference as to what the city of Detroit can feel like when there are playoffs in the city. Izzo knows it will be more beneficial than just being entertained at a ballgame.
“It’s our day off, and we always try to find some things and one of my theories in life is playoffs are playoffs and learning how to win and learning how to be around people and seeing the atmosphere, can you imagine what it’s going to be like down there?” Izzo said on Tuesday. “I mean, what a week, you think about it, we just came off the big soccer game [MSU Women’s], and we’ve got this to go to, and then, of course, we leave on Friday, our hockey team has two big games at home. I don’t think it gets any better than this and being at the playoffs because it’s been a while as we all know. I was there last time for a game or two, and the atmosphere is just so different, and I want my guys to enjoy it and be part of it and just see what it’s like.”
The Spartans will take advantage of a well-deserved off day and be in attendance for one of the most memorable games in recent Tigers playoff history. Continuing to bond as a team and build relationships within a team are things that the hall of fame head coach continues to instill.
For many of the Spartan players, this is the first time they experience a meaningful baseball game in the city of Detroit and Izzo understands how important it is for his group to be a part of it.
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