50 Fun Facts About Detroit Tigers

In which year did the Tigers become a charter member of the American League?

The club had been founded in the minor Western League in 1894 and is the AL's oldest team still in its original city under its original name.

Before settling on Tigers, the 1894 Detroit club was referred to by which names?

The earliest known use of 'Tigers' was in the Detroit Free Press on 16 April 1895, a year before manager George Stallings claimed credit for it.

According to author Richard Bak, the Tigers took their nickname from which local institution?

The military unit had fought in the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, and the ballclub formally sought its permission to use the name.

Bennett Park, Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium all stood at the corner of which two Detroit avenues?

Bennett Park went up there in 1895; the Tigers played at 'The Corner' until 1999.

Under what name did the ballpark that became Tiger Stadium open in 1912?

It was expanded and renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938 and became Tiger Stadium in 1961.

Since which year have the Tigers played at Comerica Park?

The downtown park replaced Tiger Stadium after the 1999 season.

How old was Ty Cobb when the Tigers acquired him in 1905?

The Georgia Peach won the batting Triple Crown in 1909, hitting .377 with 9 home runs and 107 RBIs.

Which team beat the Tigers in both the 1907 and 1908 World Series?

Detroit lost a third straight Series to Pittsburgh in 1909, going down 8-0 in Game 7 at Bennett Park.

Whom did the Tigers beat to win their first World Series in 1935?

The year before, the 101-win Tigers had lost in seven to the Cardinals' Gashouse Gang.

Hank Greenberg won the 1935 AL MVP with 36 homers and how many RBIs?

In 1938 he hit 58 home runs, two short of Ruth's record; he then lost most of four seasons to military service.

Which Tigers pitcher won the 1945 pitching Triple Crown with 25 wins, a 1.81 ERA and 212 strikeouts?

Prince Hal was MVP in both 1944 and 1945 and started the Series-clinching Game 7 against the Cubs.

In 1955 Al Kaline hit .340 to become what?

He was 20; Mr. Tiger finished with 3,007 hits and had his number 6 retired in 1980.

Which Tigers first baseman won the 1961 batting title with a .361 average?

The 1961 Tigers won 101 games and led the majors in runs, but still finished behind the Maris-Mantle Yankees.

Denny McLain won how many games in 1968, the first pitcher to reach 30 since Dizzy Dean in 1934?

He went 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA as Detroit won 103 games and led the AL from 10 May to the finish.

Who was named MVP of the 1968 World Series after winning three games against the Cardinals?

Detroit came back from 3-1 down; Jim Northrup's triple in Game 7 scored Cash and Horton for a 4-1 win.

Which pitcher's 1976 rookie season is called 'The Year of The Bird' in Tigers history?

The curly-haired Rookie of the Year talked to the ball and groomed the mound by hand.

Which pizza magnate bought the Tigers from John Fetzer for $53 million ahead of the 1984 season?

The Domino's founder sold to Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch in 1992, so the club has been owned by two rival pizza men in a row.

What was the 1984 Tigers' record after their first 40 games?

They started 9-0, won a franchise-record 104 games and led the division wire to wire, finishing 15 games clear of Toronto.

Which pitcher threw a televised no-hitter against the White Sox in the fourth game of 1984?

Morris went on to pitch two complete-game wins in the World Series; his number 47 was retired in 2018.

Which reliever won both the AL Cy Young and MVP awards for the 1984 Tigers?

He had arrived from the NL champion Phillies in the off-season; a relief pitcher sweeping both awards is a rarity.

Off which Padres reliever did Kirk Gibson hit his three-run homer in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series?

Sparky Anderson yelled 'He don't want to walk you!' after Gossage talked manager Dick Williams out of an intentional pass.

Who was named MVP of the 1984 World Series after homering in his first two at-bats in Game 4?

The Tigers' manager became the first to win the World Series in both leagues.

Before the 1984 Tigers, which team last led its division every day from opening day to a title?

The Tigers swept Kansas City in the ALCS and beat San Diego in five.

What was the Tigers' record in 2003, the worst in franchise history?

They avoided tying the 1962 Mets' 120 losses by winning five of their last six; Mike Maroth went 9-21.

Which former shortstop managed the 119-loss 2003 Tigers, with Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish on his staff?

Trammell was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018 and had his number 3 retired the same year.

Whose walk-off homer in Game 4 of the 2006 ALCS swept Oakland and sent Detroit to the World Series?

The Tigers had lost their last five regular-season games to blow the division, then beat the Yankees as a wild card.

Which umpire's blown call at first base cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game on 2 June 2010?

A tearful Joyce apologised, and the next day Galarraga brought the lineup card to the plate and shook his hand.

Justin Verlander's 2011 AL MVP made him the first pitcher to win the award since whom?

Verlander won the pitching Triple Crown that year with 24 wins, a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts, plus a unanimous Cy Young.

Miguel Cabrera's 2012 Triple Crown was the first in the majors since which player in 1967?

Cabrera hit .330 with 44 homers and 139 RBIs and was named MVP; he repeated as MVP in 2013.

Which team swept the Tigers in the 2012 World Series?

Detroit had swept the Yankees in the ALCS for its 11th AL pennant.

Which pitcher's 21-3 record won the 2013 AL Cy Young Award for Detroit?

The 2013 staff struck out 1,428 batters, breaking the record held by the 2003 Cubs.

Acquiring David Price in July 2014 gave the Tigers what first in major league history?

Verlander (2011), Price (2012) and Scherzer (2013) had won the previous three AL Cy Youngs.

Jim Leyland stepped down as Tigers manager after the 2013 season. Who replaced him?

Leyland's number 10 was retired in 2024, the year he entered the Hall of Fame.

The 2024 Tigers were 55-63 on 10 August. What did they do next?

They then swept Houston for their first postseason series win since 2013 before losing to Cleveland in the ALDS.

The 2025 Tigers led the AL Central by 15.5 games in early July but lost the division to whom?

Detroit went 7-17 in September in a collapse described as one of the worst in MLB history, then beat Cleveland in the Wild Card round anyway.

Which second baseman's number 1 was retired by the Tigers in August 2022?

Gehringer's number 2 had been retired in 1983; Whitaker and Trammell formed one of the great double-play partnerships.

Why is Ty Cobb honoured at Comerica Park by name rather than by a retired number?

Sam Crawford, Harry Heilmann, Heinie Manush and Hughie Jennings are honoured the same way.

Which long-time broadcaster is honoured by name alongside the retired numbers at Comerica Park?

Harwell called Tigers games from 1960 to 2002 and won the Ford C. Frick Award.

Which manager's number 11 did the Tigers retire in 2011?

Anderson led the 1984 champions and had already won two titles with Cincinnati's Big Red Machine.

The Tigers' home uniform design has been essentially unchanged since which year?

The blackletter D first appeared in 1904 and became the standard in 1934.

What makes the Tigers' road uniforms unique in Major League Baseball?

Orange first appeared in 1903 but only became a full-time accent in 1972; the pants also have more belt loops than any other team's.

The Tigers' 2024 City Connect jersey celebrates which side of Detroit's identity?

It is navy with electric-blue tyre-tread patterns and 'Motor City' branding.

Which typeface style is the Tigers' famous D, often mislabelled 'Old English'?

In 2018 the club changed the home jersey's curved D to match the sharper cap version.

In 1915 the Tigers won a then-club-record 100 games but lost the pennant to which team?

The Red Sox won 101, and went on to beat the Phillies in the World Series.

Which two 1963 arrivals in the Tigers rotation went on to star in the 1968 championship season?

McLain won 31 in 1968; Lolich won three World Series games.

Which owner built Bennett Park at 'The Corner' in 1895, giving the Tigers a home for 104 seasons?

The first game at 'The Corner' was an April 1896 exhibition the Tigers won 30–3 over a local semi-pro side.

In their first major-league game in April 1901, the Tigers came back from what deficit to win 14–13?

Some 10,000 fans at Bennett Park watched the comeback over the Milwaukee Brewers; Detroit finished third in the eight-team league.

What did the 1901 Tigers become the first major-league team to put on their caps?

The letter D replaced it in 1903 and the famous Olde English-style D arrived the following year.

What feat has the Tigers' 1945 pitching Triple Crown winner alone achieved among AL pitchers?

His second MVP came in 1945, and he won Game 7 of that year's World Series against the Cubs.

Which future Hall of Famer did the Tigers trade to Atlanta in 1987 for pitcher Doyle Alexander?

Alexander went 9–0 with a 1.53 ERA to help win the AL East; Smoltz, a Michigan native, reached Cooperstown in 2015.