Monroe continues postseason streak

DETROIT - Craig Monroe looked down, flipped his bat and got ready for another trot around the bases. He's getting this routine down pat.

Monroe hit his fifth home run of this postseason, connecting for the second straight day against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Not being in this situation before, I'm shocked sometimes at myself," he said. "I'm relaxed and having fun. That's the big thing. I'm not getting caught up in all the things that are going on around me."

Like the company he joined.

Monroe matched the franchise record for career homers in the postseason set by Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg.

"Wow," Monroe said before he stepped in front of a sea of reporters and cameras at the postgame news conference. "That's something I'll have to really reflect on down the road, not now, because I can't even process that kind of stuff right now."

Greenberg hit his five postseason homers for the Tigers in 85 at-bats during the 1934 World Series - which they lost to St. Louis - and when they played for the title in 1935, 1940 and 1945. Monroe has matched the total in just 37 at-bats.

He also became the first player to hit homers in his first two World Series games since Barry Bonds did it for San Francisco in 2002 against Anaheim.

"I'm not here to talk about me," Monroe said. "This team has done an outstanding job of sticking by each other and persevering.

"Yeah, that's great. But I'm focused on one thing, and that's to help us win games."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland often has said that Monroe finally believed he was good this season after merely thinking he was good in the past.

That belief had to be cemented this month with a .324 batting average in the playoffs - perhaps making him Detroit's most consistent hitter - with plenty of power.

Monroe's solo homer in the first inning sailed 421 feet into the seats in left field, a no-doubt shot that allowed Monroe to react - head down, bat flipped - as few can at Comerica Park.

"To see him jump-start us like that obviously made me feel pretty good," Leyland said.

"The guy has been doing that all year long for us, coming up with big home runs," Detroit designated hitter Sean Casey said.