Online Encyclopedia
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are in the Central Division of the American League.
- Founded: 1893, in the minor Western League. In 1900 that league became the American League.
- Home ballpark: Comerica Park
- Uniform colors: Navy blue, White, and Orange
- Logo design: An Old English font "D"
- Division titles won (3): 1972, 1984, 1987 (Note: Divisional play began in 1969.)
- American League pennants won (9): 1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968, 1984
- World Series championships won (4): 1935, 1945, 1968, 1984
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Franchise history
The Detroit Tigers baseball franchise played their first game for the newly established American League on April 25, 1901 at Bennett Park in front of 10,000 fans. After trailing 13-4 entering the ninth inning, the team staged a dramatic comeback to win the game 14-13. A legend holds that the Detroit Tigers got their nickname, which they have held for over a century, after a sportswriter (a graduate of Princeton University, whose sports teams were called the "Tigers") wrote that the team "fought back like tigers". The team eventually finished third in the eight team league. Eleven years later, an elegant stadium was constructed on the site of Bennett Park and named Navin Field. Later renamed Tiger Stadium, the beautiful structure remained in use by the team until 2000.
In 1905, the team acquired Ty Cobb, a player who would be considered one of the greatest of all-time. The addition of Cobb to an already talented team that included Sam Crawford, Hughie Jennings, Bill Donovan, and George Mullin quickly yielded results, as the Tigers won three consecutive American League Championships from 1907-09. However, the team came up short in the World Series each time, and would not win its first World Series until 1935. The team won additional World Series crowns in 1945, 1968 and 1984. The 1968 title, which occurred one year after a large race riot in Detroit, is thought to have helped to heal citywide tensions. The 1984 team, meanwhile, started out at a record pace (35-5), and cruised to a franchise-record 104 victories. That team featured the great double-play combination of shortstop Alan Trammell and second baseman Lou Whitaker; the duo would play together a record 19 seasons. From 1979 to 1995, the team was managed by the colorful, eccentric George "Sparky" Anderson, one of baseball's winningest managers.
The team abandoned legendary Tiger Stadium, then tied with Fenway Park as the oldest active baseball stadium, in 2000 in favor of the new Comerica Park. Many longtime fans complained that the "CoPa" lacked the charm of its predecessor, while others saw it as a necessary replacement of an aging facility. In 2003, the Tigers avoided the 1962 New York Mets' modern record for losses in one season by winning five out of the last six games of the season. Since the mid-1990s, the team's fortunes have been dismal; they last posted a winning season in 1993.
In 2004, the team signed or traded for several talented but high-risk veterans, such as Ivan Rodriguez, Ugueth Urbina, Rondell White, and Carlos Guillen, and the gamble paid off. The '04 Tigers had a 29 game improvement over the previous season, one of the greatest improvements in baseball history.
Players of note
Baseball Hall of Famers
- Sparky Anderson
- Earl Averill
- Jim Bunning
- Ty Cobb
- Mickey Cochrane
- Sam Crawford
- Larry Doby
- Charlie Gehringer
- Goose Goslin
- Hank Greenberg
- Bucky Harris
- Harry Heilmann
- Waite Hoyt
- Hughie Jennings
- Al Kaline
- George Kell
- Heinie Manush
- Eddie Mathews
- Hal Newhouser
- Al Simmons
- Sam Thompson
Current stars
- Jeremy Bonderman (P)
- Carlos Guillén (SS)
- Omar Infante (2B)
- Brandon Inge (3B)
- Jason Johnson (P)
- Wilfredo Ledezma (P)
- Nook Logan (CF)
- Mike Maroth (P)
- Troy Percival (P)
- Nate Robertson (P)
- Ivan Rodriguez (C)
- Alex Sanchez (CF)
- Chris Shelton (DH)
- Ugueth Urbina (P)
- Dimitri Young (DH)
- Fernando Viña (2B)
- Rondell White (LF)
- Esteban Yan (P)
Not to be forgotten
- Norm Cash
- Doc Cramer
- Mark Fidrych "The Bird"
- Cecil Fielder
- Bill Freehan
- Kirk Gibson
- Chet Lemon
- Mickey Lolich
- "Paw-Paw" Charlie Maxwell
- Denny McLain (AL MVP and Cy Young Award in 1968; Cy Young Award in 1969)
- Jack Morris
- George Mullin
- Jim Northrup
- Lance Parrish
- Schoolboy Rowe
- Mickey Stanley
- Frank Tanana
- Birdie Tebbetts
- Alan Trammell
- James L. "Skeeter" Webb
- Lou Whitaker
- Rudy York
Retired numbers
- Ty Cobb (has retirement honors, as he played in the era prior to uniform numbers)
- Ernie Harwell (former broadcaster; has retirement honors)
- 2 Charlie Gehringer
- 5 Hank Greenberg
- 6 Al Kaline
- 16 Hal Newhouser
- 23 Willie Horton
- 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball)
Minor league affiliates
- Toledo Mud Hens (AAA, International League)
- Erie SeaWolves (AA, Eastern League)
- Lakeland Tigers (High-A, Florida State League)
- West Michigan Whitecaps (A, Midwest League)
- Oneonta Tigers (Short-Season A, New York-Penn League)
- GCL Tigers (Rookie, Gulf Coast League)
External link
- Detroit Tigers official web site http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/det/homepage/det_homepage.jsp