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Mark Sargen may be one of the Detroit Tigers' biggest fans this side of Ohio.
The Mount Wolf man incorporated the team's colors into his painting business, painting the Sargen's Painting work vans Tigers blue and orange. But Sargen's love for his favorite team doesn't stop there - the walls of his basement mancave are also painted in the same color scheme.
"I've been a Tiggers [ggr: Tiggers is CQ, a nickname for the team: ]fan since the 70s," Sargen said.
The Tigers opened up the World Series against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park in California Wednesday night.
Sargen said that if by some off chance the team doesn't secure its first World Series title since 1984 this season, the team will have chances in the years to come due to the team's all-star lineup.
"If we don't win. ... we'll be knocking on the door for a while," he said.
History: While the Tigers and Giants lack a history between the two teams, each has a solid history in baseball.
Al Gregson of Spring Garden Township witnessed one of the Giants' highpoints firsthand when, in 1954, Willie Mays made "The Catch" for the then-New York Giants at the Polo Grounds during the first game of the World Series.
Originally from New York City, Gregson was at the game against at Cleveland Indians when Mays darted toward the outfield stands and made the over-the-shoulder catch.
As a child, Gregson said he attended games at Yankee Stadium and the Giants' stadium but became a Giants fan.
"They were kind of underdogs during that time," he said.
Not any more. The Giants boasted one of the best regular season records in the National League compared to Detroit holding to worst record of all American League teams that made it to postseason play.
It took the Giants five games to eliminate the Cincinnati Reds in the divisional playoffs and seven games to advance past the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.
The Tigers took out the Oakland Athletics in five games in the first round and swept the New York Yankees in four games to reach the World Series.
During the Yankees-Tigers series, Matt Sease cheered on Detroit after New York ended his favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles', hopes of reaching the Fall Classic.
"Last week I was rooting for the Tigers," he said.
This week, however, the Dallastown man is wholeheartedly behind his favorite National League team - the Giants.
Sease predicted the Giants will win the series in six games.
Nearly perfect: A Michigander by birth, Greg Hadfield remains a loyal Tigers fan despite moving to East Manchester Township a few years ago.
Earlier this year Hadfield witnessed near history when he attended a Tigers game at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit with his father and his oldest son.
Hadfield's son, Gregory, 11, is a huge Justin Verlander fan, and the all-star pitcher was on the mound that day against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After eight innings, Verlander and his Tigers kept the Pirates' bats silent. But Josh Harrison broke up the possible no-hitter, which would have been the ace's third in his career.
"That was kind of a special game," Hadfield said.
Verlander didn't put on the same kind of performance Wednesday night and was pulled in the fifth.
Pitching: Bill Traum, who was born in Detroit but moved to the area in 1973, said he's keeping his hopes alive that the Tigers can pull off the series win in five games.
Pitching will be a big part of the series, and Detroit has one of the best pitchers (Verlander) in the game, said the York Township man.
Verlander, the defending American League Cy Young winner and MVP, will likely be given another crack against the Giants.
"If Verlander gets through the first couple of innings, they'll be all right," Traum said.
- Reach Greg Gross at ggross@yorkdispatch.com.
