My Favorite Teams
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1. Tigers
2. Yankees
3. Padres
4. White Sox
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The Tigers have been playin ball since their first season opened April 25, 1901. Right now it's Friday, April
Pudge, pictured to the left and right, is starting for the Tiger's this year. He helped lead the Florida Marlins to the World Series title last year. He brings much welcomed talent to the team.
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History of the Detroit Tigers
From 1901 to 2000
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1901
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On April 24, 1901, the Tigers prepared to take to the field for their first official American League game. A standing room only crowd was anticipated at Bennett Park, but unpredictable weather postponed the opening by a day.
On that historic afternoon, April 25, 1901, in front of 10,000 fans, the Tigers entered the ninth inning trailing Milwaukee, 13-4. A series of hits and miscues followed, moving the score to 13-12 with two runners on. With two out, Tiger Frank "Pop" Dillon faced reliever Bert Husting, and the lefthanded hitter rapped a two-run double to complete a 14-13 comeback win.
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1905
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The 1905 season was a remarkable one for the organization in that it marked the first in a Detroit uniform for Tyrus Raymond Cobb, the most famous Tiger of all. Acquired in exchange for pitcher Eddie Cicotte and $700 from Augusta of the Sally League (plus an additional $50 for "immediate delivery"), Cobb played the first of his 3,033 major league games on August 30, 1905. He would remain with the Tigers for 22 years, and when he retired in 1928, he had collected more records than any player in major league history.
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1907
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The 1907 season saw the emergence of two individuals, neither of them players, who would both play significant roles in turning the fortunes of the young Tigers. One was Frank Navin, who began as a bookkeeper with the franchise in 1902 before acquiring a full half interest ownership in the club and becoming team president. After Ban Johnson's retirement in 1927, Navin came to be regarded by many as the most powerful man in the American League. The other was Hughie Jennings, a keen judge of talent who would lead the club to three consecutive league championships as one of the most colorful managers in major league history.
That same 1907 season, the Tigers won their first pennant, taking the American League by one and one-half games with a mark of 92-58. A disappointing loss to the Cubs in the World Series followed.
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1911
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In 1911, Cobb finished with a personal-best batting average of .420, finishing just short of the all-time American League single-season record of .422 set by Nap Lajoie in 1901.
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1912
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In 1912, the club moved into its new ballpark, named after Frank Navin, but the campaign was marked by a one-game players' strike in retaliation for a suspension levied on Cobb for taking a punch at a fan in New York. The May 18 strike forced the Tigers to put together a team of sandlot players for one game, a 24-2 loss at Philadelphia.
In 1961 the name of the stadium was officially changed to Tiger Stadium. From 1912-1999 more than 102 million fans passed through tiger stadium turnstiles.
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1915
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In 1915, Jennings and his club posted a regular-season record of 100-54, yet the skipper remembered the campaign as "the biggest disappointment" of his career after Babe Ruth's Red Sox claimed the pennant with 101 wins.
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1924
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By 1920, the Tigers had plunged to seventh place, Jennings was released and the managerial position fell into the hands of Cobb. The highlight of Cobb's tenure was 1924, the same season that Hall-of-Famer Charlie Gehringer first wore the Tiger uniform, when the club remained in the race until the season's final week with a record of 86-68.
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1934
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After five seasons with Bucky Harris at the helm, Navin attempted to hire Babe Ruth as manager in 1934. Unable to land him, Navin turned to Mickey Cochrane, purchased from Philadelphia for $100,000. With Cochrane as catcher/manager, the Tigers soared to a 101-53 record in 1934 for the first of two consecutive league pennants. Schoolboy Rowe set a record with 16 consecutive pitching wins, but in the World Series the Tigers once again failed to capture the post-season magic, dropping a seven-game decision to Frankie Frisch's St. Louis Cardinals in a series that featured Commissioner Landis removing St. Louis outfielder Ducky Medwick from Game 7 for his own safety as Detroit fans pelted the field with debris.
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1935
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In 1935, the long-awaited title dreams came true for Tiger fans and players. After winning the American League by three games, Detroit took six games to mow down the Chicago Cubs in the 1935 World Series, with Cochrane making a daring dash from second in the ninth inning of Game Six to score the winning run on a single by Goose Goslin. For their accomplishments, each player was awarded a share of $6,544.
On November 13, 1935, Frank Navin was stricken by a heart ailment and died at the age of 64. Walter Briggs Sr., already half-owner of the club, purchased the remainder of the team and became president.
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1940
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In 1940 under manager Del Baker, Detroit earned its sixth pennant with a 90-64 mark and faced Cincinnati in the Fall Classic. A 21-game winner in the regular season, righthander Bobo Newsom pitched the Tigers to wins in two games of the Series but fell in Game Seven as the Reds won the title.
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1945
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A strange end to the 1945 season marked the Tigers' successful surge to their eventual second World Series title. With little hope of making it to the post-season, the Washington Senators scheduled their season to close a week early to make their park available for pro football. The Senators, however, played inspired baseball all the way but were forced to sit and watch during the season's final week as the Tigers nosed them out of a pennant. In the ensuing World Series, the Tigers, managed by Steve O'Neill, knocked off the Cubs in seven games, with Hall-of-Famer "Prince Hal" Newhouser winning two times.
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1950
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After a pair of second-place finishes in 1946 and '47 and the acquisition of Hall-of-Famer George Kell, the Tigers watched as a fresh influx of talent from the minors matured and nearly captured the 1950 pennant, falling just three games short after leading the pack for 119 days and finishing with a 95-59 record.
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1955
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The 1950s were highlighted by the emergence of young outfielder Al Kaline who, with a .340 batting average in 1955, became the youngest player in league history to win a batting title.
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1960
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The Tiger front office was also seeing sweeping change after the death of Briggs Sr. in 1952. After a four-year presidency by his son, Walter Briggs Jr., the Briggs stock was sold to a syndicate of 11 radio/television executives led by John Fetzer, Fred Knorr and Kenyon Brown. In 1960, Fetzer purchased the entire team and became entrenched as club president.
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1968
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After finishing just one game out of first place in 1967, the Tigers were poised and loaded with talent entering the 1968 campaign. Under manager Mayo Smith, the club took the lead on May 10 and never relinquished it, finishing 12 games ahead of second-place Baltimore. Denny McLain was the hero of the campaign with a 31-6 record, becoming the first pitcher since Lefty Grove in 1934 (and remaining the last currently) to win 30 or more in a season. His efforts earned McLain unanimous acclaim as MVP and Cy Young winner in the league.
In a tight World Series, Mickey Lolich pitched the club to three wins, the final win coming on just two days rest as the Tigers captured the crown.
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1972
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With divisional play starting in 1969, the Tigers next visited the post-season by winning the American League East in 1972 under Billy Martin with a 92-70 mark. The club was unable to capture the pennant, however, as the Oakland A's won the best-of-five series in five games.
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1979
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The late 1970s featured the first of an American League record 1,918 appearances together by Tiger middle infielders Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker.
The 1979 season saw another significant change in leadership when on June 14, Sparky Anderson took over the club's managerial reigns. For the next 16 seasons, Anderson would lead the Tigers from the dugout, claiming two division titles and a World Championship along the way.
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1984
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After a second-place finish in 1983, success was expected for a talented Tiger club the following season. With Jack Morris tossing his first no-hitter on April 7 of 1984, the club vaulted into the division lead by winning its first nine games and going 35-5 through May 24, the best 40-game start in major league history. The Tigers went on to a 104-58 mark, 15 games in front of the pack, and continued by sweeping the Royals in the Championship Series. After defeating the Padres, four-games-to-one, in the World Series, the Tigers became the first major league team since the 1955 Dodgers to hold first place wire-to-wire and finish by winning the championship. In addition, a club-record 2,704,794 fans passed through the turnstiles.
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1987
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The Tigers returned to glory in 1987 in dramatic fashion. The club struggled to an 11-19 start but closed strong and looked ready to make a move after first-place Toronto lost four straight entering the final weekend of play. Trailing the Blue Jays by just one game with a three-game set in Motown against Toronto to close the regular season, the Tigers took the first two. With a one-game lead, Detroit's Frank Tanana out-dueled the Jays' Jimmy Key on Sunday as Larry Herndon's solo homer proved the only scoring in a 1-0 triumph. After the dramatic ending to the regular season, Detroit bowed out of the playoffs to Minnesota, losing a best-of-seven series in five contests.
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1992
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The 1992 season included the most recent change in ownership for the team as Mike Ilitch purchased sole interest in the team from Tom Monoghan, and other structural changes were not far down the road.
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1995
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In 1995, Tiger President and CEO John McHale was hired, and the following off-season, Vice President/General Manager Randy Smith was brought on board. The organization began a process of rebuilding the franchise through scouting and player development, and the past four campaigns have seen the emergence of talented homegrown players such as Tony Clark, Brian Moehler and Juan Encarnacion.
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1999
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September 27, 1999, saw the last Detroit Tiger baseball game played at Tiger Stadium. After an 87 year run, the Corner saw it's 6,783rd-and final-game with a sold-out crowd of 43,356 fans, many standing at their seats and dabbing tears from their eyes as 63 Tiger greats took the field one last time during the closing ceremonies of the park. The Tigers took that historic game, beating the Royals 8-2.
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2000
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April 11, 2000, saw the beginning of a new era as the Tigers were welcomed into their new home, Comerica Park.
Opening Day saw 34-degree weather, a sold-out crowd, and a 5-2 win against Seattle.
Also in 2000, right-hander Todd Jones won the Rolaids Relief Man Award, making 42 saves in 46 save situations.
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2004 Twisted eMpire by Tyson
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