In Wet and Cold, Tigers Survive

OAKLAND — A steady rain turned the field into a muddy, gooey mess. There were only 5,335 in the stands. The scene reminded the Detroit Tigers of a high school game, or perhaps a spring training contest.

But the Tigers have been struggling to win all season, so they were more than willing to take their 10-5 victory Wednesday over the Oakland Athletics despite conditions that some players said were the worst they had ever encountered.

“It was weird. It didn’t feel like a big-league ballgame out there,” said Bobby Higginson, whose two-run homer capped a three-run eighth inning as the Tigers rallied to win. “It seemed like a high school game out there, or a semi-pro game.”

The start of the game was delayed 35 minutes, and a steady rain fell throughout. Workers dumped sand on the infield during the game, but it still turned into a quagmire.

“The conditions were pretty sloppy. We were fortunate nobody got hurt,” said Joe Randa, who had a two-run double as the Tigers added four runs in the ninth. “With the circumstances, it almost felt like a spring training game.”