Today is Memorial Day. That means most of us have the day off of work and are meeting family and friends for a barbecue. And, while rightfully so, we honor all military veterans for their service to our great land, Memorial Day is a day to remember those who never came back. So while you’re …
Prior to the 1935 season, the Detroit Tigers had four cracks at winning a World Series title. The Bengals advanced to the Fall Classic in 1907, 1908, 1909, and 1934 Yet, each time they fell short, losing to the Cubs twice and the Pirates and Cardinals once. But in 1935 the Tigers finally prevailed. Facing …
Continue reading “The Unheralded Hero of Detroit’s First Title”
“The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule.” – Albert Einstien Sometimes history aligns in a way that cannot be denied; whether the participants in said history are aware of their place or not. Regardless of their desire to make a big deal out of a situation or to just …
Continue reading “Homers Against Hitler; Hank Greenberg’s Triumph”
It all began for the Detroit Tigers on April 25, 1901 when they scored 10 runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 14-13 in front of 10,023 fans at Bennett Park in Detroit. Since that day, the Detroit franchise has entered the hearts of countless Tiger fans across the …
Continue reading “10 Detroit Tigers ‘Unbreakable’ Single-Season Records”
When it comes to the Detroit Tigers, there is one phrase that just about every fan recognizes and relates to the team. Some recognize the phrase because they lived through it and others because of stories they’ve been told.
In this day in age, it’s very easy for a sports fan to get caught up in the “here and now” and to just ignore the birth of the team they show allegiance to. The birth of the Detroit Tigers came all the way back in 1901, and from that moment on the franchise has …
Continue reading “1901 Detroit Tigers: The Inaugural Season”
When the American League was formed in 1901, Major League Baseball came to Detroit. As a charter member of the league, the Detroit Tigers went for six years without finishing above third place in the eight team league; never once finishing closer than eight-and-a-half games out of first. In those first six years, the Tigers’ …
Continue reading “1907: The Tigers Inaugural Trip to the Fall Classic”
Before there was 1968, there was 1967. Before Mickey Lolich jumped into Bill Freehan’s arms in St. Louis, there was 1967. It was the year the Tigers almost won it all, and it was Lolich that nearly got them there. The Motor City was hungry for a title. The last time the Tigers brought home …
Continue reading “How Mickey Lolich Nearly Pitched the Tigers to Back-to-Back Titles”
If you’ve spent any time around a baseball box score in the present day you’ve undoubtedly come across the statistic WAR, or Wins Above a Replacement player. While not a perfect statistic, as no statistic is (here’s looking at you pitcher wins), WAR is meant to measure the value a player adds to an organization …
Tigers fans often wonder how great Mark Fidrych might have been had injuries not derailed his short-lived career.
Fidrych steamrolled baseball in 1976, winning 19 games and led the American League in ERA at 2.34. But in 1977, the phenom’s road to greatness hit a road bump that would eventually lead to the end of his once promising career.
As Detroiters flipped on their radios on April 10, 1968, they were greeted by the familiar and comforting voice of Ernie Harwell. Just a few months prior they’d listened as he ushered in a new season with his “Voice of the Turtle” speech, welcoming in a new season as Spring Training got underway. Little did …
Continue reading “Healing a Broken City-The 1968 Detroit Tigers”
Long before Willie Horton became a leader both on and off the field for the Detroit Tigers, the eventual four-time All-Star was making his mark on the high school and sandlot fields of Detroit. He was known as “Willie the Wonder” as a youth.