Little Known Facts:
Team Knowledge
•The Detroit Tigers started out as the Detroit Wolverines because Michigan’s nickname is “The Wolverine State.” The name wasn’t changed to the Tigers until 1901.
•On their first opening day, the Detroit Tigers were trailing with a score of 13-4, but rallied in the ninth inning to bring the score up to 14-13, giving them their first win during their first game
•In their fourth season on opening day in 1904, the Detroit Tigers tied the St. Louis Browns with a score of 4-4. It was one of very few games that ended in a tie.
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Championships
The
Detroit Tigers have won four World Series titles, 10 AL Pennants and three East Division titles. East Division titles include 1972, 1984 and 1987. AL Pennants include 1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968, 1984 and 2006. World Series titles occurred 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984. In 2006, the Tigers went on to the playoffs through a Wild Card berth.
Famous Players
Charlie Gehringer – Known mostly for his second basemen skills, Gehringer (number 2) was also a power hitter. Ty Cobb, who was manager of the team at the time Gehringer played, called him “the greatest second baseman (he) ever saw.” His number was retired on June 12, 1983.
Hank Greenberg – “Hammerin’ Hank” Greenberg (number 5) made his career noteworthy by producing many hits and home runs. Although his baseball career was interrupted by four years of military service, he still managed to win two MVP awards and two World Series titles during his time with the team. His number was retired on June 12, 1983.
Al Kaline – His time with the Tigers was defined by his 20+ seasons with the team, on top of being the 10th player to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Kaline’s number 6 was retired August 17, 1980.
Hal Newhouser – This back-to-back league MVP award winning pitcher was a dominating force of the 1940’s and an integral part of the team. His number 16 was retired on July 27, 1997.
Willie Horton – This “hometown hero” is an 18-year veteran that played 14 seasons with the Tigers after signing at age 18. Horton played at Detroit’s Northwestern High School and was signed to the Tigers right out of high school. His number 23 was retired on July 15, 2000.
Leon “Goose” Goslin – Along with Gehringer and Greenberg, Goslin was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The trio of players were known as the “G-Men” and they were the favored players during
Tigers games.
Ty Cobb – Known to many fans and writers as the greatest player of all time, Cobb helped bringing home the Tigers’ first American League pennant in 1907. Cobb became team manager in 1921.
History
The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan and were founded in 1894. They are members of the Central Division of the American League. The Tigers are one of four teams to remain in their original city, along with the White Sox, Red Sox and Cleveland Indians.
The Tigers started out as the Detroit Wolverines in the National League from 1881-1888. Their name derived from Michigan’s nickname of “The Wolverine State.” As the Wolverines, their best year was in 1887 when they won the National League Pennant and the World Series against the St. Louis Browns. It was an exciting time for the city of Detroit given that it was their first World Series Championship. It was clear that good things were to come with this team displaying incredible talent early in its creation.
Despite the win, however, the team did not gather a large enough following to encourage a continuance in the majors. During the time, Detroit was one of the smallest cities in the National League. After their successful season, 1888 was a quiet one for the team which then resulted in disbanding. The team was then reduced to minor league status.
A new club joined the International League in 1889, but didn’t get as big a win as the Wolverines had, which caused an abrupt halt. Baseball was on hiatus for the next couple of seasons in Detroit until finally, in 1894, a different ball club began playing at Boulevard Park. This team was starting to get attention, and their nickname “Tigers” was becoming a house hold name. The
Tigers beat a local semi-pro team by an incredible score of 30-3. This team became members of the Western League, which was renamed the American League in 1900. The next year, the league declared itself major and began competing with the National League for players.
A new stadium was built in 1895 called Bennett Park, which would hold baseball games for the Tigers for the next 104 seasons. The first game was played on April 13, 1896. The Tigers' first game as a professional team was on April 25, 1901 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Bennett Park. The team was in the ninth inning trailing 13-4, but made an incredible comeback to win the game 14-13. Blue laws in Detroit prevented baseball from being played at Boulevard Park on Sundays, so owner James D. Burns built a new ballpark called Burns Park where the Tigers would play their Sunday home games during the 1901 and 1902 seasons.
Burns Park was later renamed after a reconstruction of the stadium to Navin Field, then Briggs Stadium, and Tiger Stadium. It is currently known as Comerica Park. The Detroit Tigers have had a number of incredible players grace the baseball field over the course of the years. Ty Cobb was known as the best player of the dead-ball era. Cobb helped the Tigers go on to win 100 games in the 1915 season by setting a stolen base record with 96 steals.
The Tigers have won three East Division titles (1987, 1984 and 1972), 10 AL pennants (1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968, 1984 and 2006) and four World Series titles (1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984). In 2006 the Detroit Tigers went on to achieve a Wild Card Berth that led to a World Series appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals. Although they did not achieve a title, it gave Detroit Tigers fans the hope that in future seasons they would have a shot at bringing glory back to Comerica Park.
With the success the team has enjoyed thus far,
Tigers tickets have been getting harder and harder to come by. The team has big plans for the upcoming season and it should be one of the biggest seasons for the Detroit Tigers. Five talented players appeared in 2007’s pro baseball
All Star Game to a crowd of more than 3 million people. The Detroit Tigers have commanded the attention of baseball fans for over 100 years and will continue to for years to come.
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