· The Tigers were established as one of the eight AL charter franchises in 1901. They were a minor league team in the Western League in 1894 where they are the only team that still remains in its original city and is the oldest continuous one name, one city franchise in the AL.
· They got their name from the nickname of the members of Michigan’s oldest military unit the 425th National Guard infantry regiment which fought in the Civil War and the Spanish-American war.
· They play their games at Comerica Park which is located in Downtown Detroit, Michigan.
· They have made the playoffs seventeen times with one wild card berth and seven divisional titles.
· They have won eleven AL Pennants and four World Series Championships in 1935, 1945, 1968 & 1984.
Batting Lineup:
1. LF Sam Crawford
2. 2B Charlie Gehringer
3. CF Ty Cobb
4. RF Al Kaline
5. DH Hank Greenberg
6. 1B Norm Cash
7. 3B George Kell
8. SS Alan Trammell
9. C Bill Freehan
Starting Rotation:
1. Jack Morris
2. Jim Bunning
Bullpen:
1. Closer: Todd Jones
4. John Hiller
Bench:
INF-Lou Whitaker
INF-Travis Fryman
Coaching Staff:
Manager-Sparky Anderson
Sparky Anderson managed the Tigers for seventeen seasons where he finished with the most wins with 1331, was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2000 and they retired his number 11. He guided them to two divisional titles, one AL Pennant and one World Series Championship in 1984. He also won two AL Manager of the Year Awards.
Bench Coach-Hughie Jennings
Hughie Jennings managed the Tigers for fourteen seasons where he finished with the second most wins with 1131, was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1945 and his name is honored by them. He was their player manager for twelve of those seasons and led them to three consecutive AL Pennants.
1B Coach-Jim Leyland
Jim Leyland managed the Tigers for eight seasons where he finished with the third most wins 700. He guided them to one wild card berth, three divisional titles and two AL Pennants. He also won AL Manager of the Year once and was the seventh manager to win a pennant in both leagues.
3B Coach-Bucky Harris
Bucky Harris managed the Tigers for seven seasons where he finished with the fourth most wins with 516 and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1975. He guided them to three winning seasons and was a player-manager for two seasons.
Hitting Coach-Steve O’Neill
Steve O’Neill managed the Tigers for six seasons where he finished with the fifth most wins with 509. He guided them to one AL Pennant and one World Series Championship in 1945.
Pitching Coach-Fred Hutchinson
Fred Hutchinson managed the Tigers for three seasons after his career as a pitcher for them where he finished with the eighteen most wins with 155. He pitched ten seasons for them where he made one All-Star appearance and was a player manager for two seasons.
Bullpen Coach-Del Baker
Del Baker managed the Tigers for eight seasons where he finished with the seventh most wins with 417. He started off as a third base coach and a former player behind the plate for them two seasons. He managed them to three AL Pennants as their manager or interim manager.
There have been twenty nine Hall of Fame players who have played for them at different points in their respective careers.
They have retired seven numbers for players, one number for a manager, six names for players, one name for a manager and one name for a broadcaster.
Ty Cobb spent twenty two seasons in the outfield for the Tigers as their greatest player/greatest center fielder/greatest outfielder/longest tenured outfielder/longest tenured center fielder where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1936 and his name is honored by them. He won twelve batting titles, led the AL in home runs once, led the AL in RBIs once four times, led the AL in stolen bases six times, won one Triple Crown, won the 1911 AL MVP while there and has highest career batting average in MLB history. He also was their player manager for seven seasons where he finished with the sixth most wins with 479. He also finished as the franchise leader for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having the highest batting average, on base percentage, highest offensive WAR, highest WAR for position players, most at bats, plate appearances, runs scored, hits, total bases, doubles, triples, RBIs, stolen bases, singles and extra base hits.
Al Kaline spent twenty two years in the outfield for the Tigers as their greatest/longest tenured right fielder where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1980 and they retired his number 6. He made all eighteen of his All-Star appearances, won all ten of his gold gloves, won one batting title, won the Roberto Clemente Award and was on one World Series Championship team in 1968 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having the most games played, home runs, walks, second most extra base hits, singles, RBIs, total bases, hits, plate appearances, at bats and second highest WAR for position players to name some.
Hank Greenberg spent twelve seasons in the infield for the Tigers as their greatest first basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1956 and they retired his number 5. He made all five of his All-Star appearances, led the AL in home runs four times, led the AL in RBIs four times, won two AL MVPs and was on two World Series Championship teams in 1935 & 1945 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having the highest slugging percentage, third highest on base percentage, fourth most home runs, fifth most extra base hits, sixth most RBIs, eight highest batting average and eight highest WAR for position players to name some.
Charlie Gehringer spent nineteen seasons in the infield for the Tigers as their greatest second basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1949 and they retired his number 2. He made all six of his All-Star appearances, won one batting title, led the AL in stolen bases once, won the 1937 AL MVP and was on one World Series Championship team in 1935 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having the second highest offensive WAR, second most runs scored, doubles, third highest WAR for position players, third most at bats, plate appearances, hits, total bases, triples, walks, singles and extra base hits to name some.
Sam Crawford spent fifteen seasons in the outfield for the Tigers where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1957 and his name is honored. He led the AL in RBIs three times, led the AL in home runs twice, led the AL in triples six times while there and has the most triples in MLB history. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having the second most triples, third most stolen bases, fourth most singles, fifth highest offensive WAR, fifth most hits, RBIs, sixth most total bases, at bats, plate appearances and games played to name some.
George Kell spent seven seasons in the infield for the Tigers as their greatest third basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1983 and his name is honored. He made six of his ten All-Star appearances, hit for the cycle, had six hits in one game, won one batting title, led the AL in hits twice and led the AL in doubles twice while there. He also finished with the fifth highest batting average in Tigers history.
Alan Trammell spent twenty years in the infield for the Tigers as their greatest/longest tenured shortstop where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 2018 and they retired his number 3. He made all six of his All-Star appearances, won all four of his gold gloves, won all three of his silver sluggers, won one World Series MVP and was on one World Series Championship team in 1984 while there. He also managed them for three seasons and is a special assistant to the GM now. He finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having defensive WAR, fifth most games played, at bats, plate appearances, stolen bases, singles, fifth highest WAR for position players, sixth most doubles, runs scored, seventh highest offensive WAR, seventh most hits, total bases and walks to name some.
Jack Morris pitched fourteen seasons for the Tigers where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 2018 and they retired his number 47. He made four of his five All-Star appearances, pitched a no-hitter, led the AL in strikeouts once, led the majors in wins once and was on one World Series Championship team in 1984 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Tigers history like having the second most games started, third most strikeouts, fourth most innings pitched, fifth most wins and sixth highest WAR for pitchers to name some.
Jim Bunning pitched nine seasons for the Tigers where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1996. He made seven of his nine All-Star appearances, led the AL in wins once, pitched a no-hitter and led the AL in strikeouts twice while there. He also finished with the sixth most strikeouts in Tigers history.
Hal Newhouser pitched fifteen seasons for the Tigers where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1992 and they retired his number 16. He made all seven of his All-Star appearances, won two AL MVPs, led the majors in strikeouts twice, led the majors in ERA twice, led the AL in wins four times, won one pitching Triple Crown, led the AL in shutouts once and was on one World Series Championship team in 1945 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Tigers history like having the highest WAR for pitchers, third most shutouts, fourth most wins, strikeouts, complete games and fifth most innings pitched to name some.
Harry Heilmann spent fifteen seasons in the outfield for the Tigers where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1952. He won four batting titles, led the AL in hits once, led the AL in RBIs once and led the AL in doubles once while there. He was their radio play-by-play man for sixteen seasons as well. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having the second highest, third most RBIs, fourth most hits, doubles, triples, total bases, extra base hit and fourth highest offensive WAR to name some.
Norm Cash spent fifteen seasons in the infield for the Tigers as their second greatest first basemen/longest tenured first basemen where he made all five of his All-Star appearances, won one batting title, led the AL in hits once and was on one World Series Championship in 1968 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having the second most home runs, sixth most walks, seventh most games played, eight most RBIs, ninth highest WAR for position players and tenth highest offensive WAR to name some.
Bill Freehan spent fifteen seasons behind the plate for the Tigers as their greatest/longest tenured catcher where he all eleven of his All-Star appearances and won all five of his gold gloves while there. He was a broadcaster for two seasons for them. He also finished with the fifth highest defensive WAR, tenth most games played and home runs in Tigers history.
Mickey Lolich pitched thirteen seasons for the Tigers where he made all three of his All-Star appearances, led the majors in strikeouts once, led the majors in wins once, led the AL in shutouts, led the AL in complete games once, won one World Series MVP, was on one World Series Championship team in 1968 while there and has the second most strikeouts for a LHP in AL history. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Tigers history like having the most strikeouts, game started, shutouts, third most games played, innings pitched and wins to name some.
George Mullin pitched twelve seasons for the Tigers where he led the AL in wins once, pitched a no-hitter, led the AL in games started once, led the AL in complete games once and led the AL in innings pitched once while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Tigers history like having the most innings pitched, complete games, second most wins, shutouts, third most games started and sixth lowest ERA to name some. Other notable starters in Tigers history have been Denny McLain, Earl Whitehill, Bill Donovan, Frank Kitson, Hook Daus, Dutch Leonard, George Uhle, Tommy Bridges, Steve Gromek, Schoolboy Rowe, Elden Auker, Bobo Newsom, Dizzy Trout, Virgil Trucks, Fred Hutchinson, Earl Wilson, Phil Regan, Hank Aguirre, Frank Lary, Joe Niekro, Joe Coleman, Woodie Fryman, Dan Petry, Frank Tanana, Jeff Weaver, Doug Fister, active players Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer, Hall of Famers Stan Coveleski and Waite Hoyt.
Willie Horton spent fifteen seasons in the outfield for the Tigers as their greatest/longest tenured left fielder where he made all four of his All-Star appearances, was on one World Series Championship team in 1968 while there and they retired his number 23. He also finished with the fifth most home runs in Tigers history. Other notable outfielders in Tigers history have been Bobby Higginson, Ron Leflore, Gates Brown, Ike Brown, Chet Lemon, Magglio Ordonez, Bobby Veach, Rocky Colavito, John Stone, Charlie Maxwell, Larry Herndon, Doc Cramer, Hoot Evers, Bill Bruton, Mickey Stanley, Juan Encarnacion, Curtis Granderson, Pete Fox, Kirk Gibson, Pat Mullin, Vic Wertz, Torii Hunter, Gary Sheffield, Rusty Staub, active players Justin Upton, JD Martinez, Nick Castellanos, Hall of Famers Goose Goslin, Heinie Manush and Earl Averill.
Lou Whitaker spent nineteen seasons in the infield for the Tigers as their second greatest second basemen where he made all five of his All-Star appearances, won all four of his silver sluggers, won all three of his gold gloves, won AL Rookie of the Year and was on one World Series Championship team in 1984 while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Tigers history like having the second highest defensive WAR, second most walks, third most games played, fourth most at bats, plate appearances, runs scored, fourth highest WAR for position players, fifth most total bases and doubles to name some.
Travis Fryman spent eight seasons in the infield for the Tigers where he made four of his five All-Star appearances and won his only silver slugger while there. Other notable infielders in Tigers history have been Tony Clark, Cecil Fielder, Prince Fielder, Carlos Pena, Walt Dropo, Jason Thompson, Rudy York, Lu Blue, George Burns, Dmitri Young, Eddie Mayo, Frank Bolling, Jerry Lumpe, Placido Polanco, Omar Infante, Dick McAuliffe, Damion Easley, Ian Kinsler, Carlos Guillen, Jhonny Peralta, Ed Brinkman, Harvey Kuenn, Donie Bush, Dean Palmer, Aurelio Rodriguez, Ray Boone, Marty McManus, Pinky Higgins, Don Wert, Brandon Inge, active players Miguel Cabrera and Jose Iglesias.
Lance Parrish spent ten seasons behind the plate for the Tigers as their second greatest catcher where he made six of his eight All-Star appearances, won all three of his gold gloves, won six of his seven silver sluggers and was on one World Series Championship team in 1984 while there. He has worked a minor league manager, a major league coach and a broadcaster for them. He also finished with the sixth highest defensive WAR and ninth most home runs in Tigers history. Other notable catchers in Tigers history have been Birdie Tebbetts, Brad Ausmus, Mickey Telleton, active catcher Alex Avila, Hall of Famers Ivan Rodriguez and Mickey Cochrane.
Todd Jones was the Tigers closer for eight seasons where he made his only All-Star appearance, won reliever of the year once and led the AL in saves once while there. He also finished with the most saves, games finished and sixth most games played in Tigers history.
Aurelio Lopez was the Tigers closer for seven seasons where he made his only All-Star appearance and was on one World Series Championship team in 1984 while there. He also finished with the third best win-loss percentage, fifth most games finished and sixth most saves in Tigers history.
Willie Hernandez was the Tigers closer for six seasons where he made all three of his All-Star appearances, won the 1984 AL MVP, won one AL CY Young Award and was on one World Series Championship team in 1984 while there. He also finished with the fourth most saves and games finished in Tigers history.
John Hiller was the Tigers closer for fifteen seasons where he led the majors in saves once, made his only All-Star appearance and was on one World Series Championship team in 1968 while there. He worked as a minor league pitching coach for them. He also finished with the most games played, third most saves, third most games finished, seventh lowest ERA and tenth highest WAR for pitchers in Tigers history.
Mike Henneman was the Tigers closer for nine seasons where he made his only All-Star appearance while there. He was a roving pitching coordinator for them. He also finished with the second most saves, games finished, fifth most games played and fifth best win-loss percentage in Tigers history.
Jose Valverde was the Tigers closer for four seasons where he made two of his three All-Star appearances, won reliever of the year twice and led the AL in saves once while there. He also finished with the fifth most saves and sixth most games finished in Tigers history. Other notable relievers in Tigers history have been Ugueth Urbina, Terry Fox, Chief Hogsett, Mike Marshall, Jason Grilli, Al Benton, active players Fernando Rodney and Francisco Rodriguez.
