It’s good to be a Tiger fan. That’s not a sentence that has been said very often over the last decade, but at the end of a 16-9 start to the season, everything is positive.

While there will be probably be a ton of factoids in tomorrow’s paper, here’s what I was able to dig up:

• At 16-9 the Tigers are now 7 games over .500. Since Comerica Park opened the team has never been more than 4 games over .500 (and it may be longer than that, I just pulled the last 5 years worth of data).
• You have to go back to the span of April 26th, 2001- May 24th, 2001 to find the last time the team had this much success over any 25 game stretch.
• A 16-9 record is the best month the team has posted since an 18-10 mark in August 2000.
• The Tigers have outscored their opponents by 50 runs, or fully two runs per game. Now of course that number is significantly skewed by a 33-1 differential in the Twins series, but it is what it is.
• The 83 runs allowed are the fewest the team has allowed in any 25 game stretch over the last 5 years.
• Tiger pitchers threw 5 shutouts in the first 25 games. I dont have any comparisons, that’s just really good.
• Tiger pitchers are leading the league in ERA a 3.32 and the OPS against is a meager .640.

Now of course it is only 25 games, but it’s the best 25 games Tiger fans have witnessed in a long time. The team has been relatively healthy, but they have gone a couple weeks without their closer, and a couple weeks without their designated hitter.

They have dominated the AL West posting a 9-4 record with every game coming on the road. Even after being swept by the White Sox at home, the Detroit has still posted a 7-5 record within their own division.

The fielding, which has been a long running problem for the Tigers, has been spectacular. They lead the league in Defensive efficiency at a .747 clip before today’s game.

Pitchers have limited the opposition to 18 home runs, which is 2nd best in the majors. Many may want to credit the ballparks rather than the pitchers, but in that same span Tiger hitters have knocked 38 dingers.

All told, this is as good a month as I can remember. Whether or not this pace can be sustained remains to be seen. I’m pretty sure the pitchers can’t continue to pitch this well, but I’d be happy to be wrong. I’m not sure whether Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, and Ivan Rodriguez can remain healthy, but so far so good.

The point right now isn’t to project the rest of the season, it is to fully enjoy what has taken place so far. And so far, we’ve seen a team that looks very capable of competing for the division and beyond. If you’re not on the bandwagon yet, hop on, there is room for everyone. I’m not sure where we’re going yet, but I’m ready to enjoy the ride.