ANAHEIM, Calif. — Near the end of Jake Rogers Day, after the Detroit Tigers rookie catcher made his long-awaited major league debut with ironic results — Rogers, an unknown offensively but so good defensively, went 2-for-4 with an error — the phone rang in manager Ron Gardenhire’s office.
It was Kelly Clarkson, the singer of the 2011 hit single “Stronger,” her voice booming from Gardenhire’s cell phone as his ringtone again. This spring, he ditched the ringtone for Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” but nearly four months into the season, with the Tigers at 31-72, it returned as a constant reminder to the veteran manager that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.