Chris Ilitch is drenched in celebration and reflects on the win: 'Tigers fans are the greatest'

DETROIT – When Detroit Tigers chairman and CEO Chris Ilitch entered the team's clubhouse to congratulate players after they secured a playoff spot Friday night, there was one player brave enough to take him to treat him like one of the boys.

Tigers star outfielder Riley Greene led Ilitch into the crowd of cheering players and showered him with beer.

“I always dreamed of doing this,” Greene said dryly later.

(See Video of the scene from WXYZ Sports Director Brad Galli).

Tigers manager AJ Hinch said no one was safe in the post-game ecstasy, not even the owner.

“It’s nice to see our players comfortable enough in their own skin or naive enough in one way or another to include him in the celebrations,” Hinch said. “He’s been an incredibly supportive (owner) of me, of our front office and of building us to be a winner.”

Ilitch said Friday was a “fantastic” night to be a Tiger.

“First and foremost, I’m so happy for the Tigers fans,” Ilitch told Galli and other reporters after the game. “The Tigers fans are the greatest – the loyalty, the years of support for this club. You saw it tonight. They came out in large numbers. It was electric all week. The Tigers fans deserve this and I'm really happy for them.

“Secondly, our players. They worked so hard, they were brave and resilient. They deserve this and are such a symbol for our city. I'm just so proud and excited for them, our coaching staff and AJ Hinch. What can I say? Amazing leader. He is our field general and he has been our leader this season and through some difficult years. He’s getting rewarded now and I couldn’t be more excited.”

The 58-year-old Ilitch took over from his late father Michael after his death in 2017. After several years of cutting payroll, Ilitch let former general manager Al Avila splurge on a few top free agents ahead of the 2022 season. But the big signings proved to be duds, the Tigers got off to a terrible start, Avila was fired and the Tigers finished 30 games under .500.

Scott Harris was hired by the San Francisco Giants as president of baseball operations on September 22, 2022. Two years later, the Tigers are in the postseason.

“I’m really excited for Scott Harris,” Ilitch said. “It all starts with him. He had a vision, he has a plan and he executes it. Jeff Greenberg, our GM, those two guys – I couldn't be more excited for them. Actually our entire organization. So many people work hard behind the scenes every day, and this is the culmination of all of those efforts. I’m so proud of the entire team.”

Ilitch said he trusted Harris' vision from day one.

“Luckily I find out the background and the plan they are working on. There are some things we obviously can’t reveal for competitive reasons, but there is a real vision and we have a smart and hard-working team,” he said. “I’m really pleased that they’re being rewarded for all their hard work, starting with our players – the hardest-working guys in the organization. I couldn’t be prouder.”