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Detroit Tigers use infield shifts more than any team. This is why they're doing it

Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire speaks Tuesday, August 4, 2020, about the COVID-19 pandemic and postponement of four games against St. Louis. Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Tigers have not paced the major leagues in much other than losses in recent years.

A whopping 114 of them last season, to be exact.

The Tigers employed the shift 1,835 times across 6,278 plate appearances in 2019. That’s 29.2% of the time, good for 11th-most overall. The two teams shifting 50% or more were the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers — both teams won their divisions, with the Astros reaching the World Series.