50 free Detroit Tigers trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
45 free Detroit Tigers trivia questions with answers. Detroit Tigers trivia for the Corner faithful and the Comerica generation. The quiz walks through the whole franchise: the Western League club of 1894 and the AL charter of 1901, Bennett Park and the Michigan-and-Trumbull era, Ty Cobb's arrival at 18, the three straight World Series defeats of 1907-09, Greenberg and Gehringer's 1935 title, Newhouser's Game 7 in 1945, McLain's 31 wins and Lolich's three in 1968, the 35-5 start and Gibson's home run off Gossage in 1984, the 119-loss season of 2003, Ordonez's walk-off in 2006, Galarraga's imperfect game, Verlander's MVP year, Cabrera's Triple Crown and the 2024 and 2025 playoff runs. Expect questions on retired numbers, the Olde English D, why the road uniforms are the only ones in baseball with a colour the home whites lack, and where the team's nickname really came from. Easy questions open the set; the later ones will test someone who listened to Ernie Harwell every summer. Every answer has been checked against a reference page and each question shows its citation.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which year did the Tigers become a charter member of the American League?
1901
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.
Q 02Before settling on Tigers, the 1894 Detroit club was referred to by which names?
Wolverines and Creams
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.
Q 03According to author Richard Bak, the Tigers took their nickname from which local institution?
The Detroit Light Guard militia
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.
Q 04Bennett Park, Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium all stood at the corner of which two Detroit avenues?
Michigan and Trumbull
Bennett Park went up there in 1895; the Tigers played at 'The Corner' until 1999.
Q 05Under what name did the ballpark that became Tiger Stadium open in 1912?
Navin Field
It was expanded and renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938 and became Tiger Stadium in 1961.
Q 06Since which year have the Tigers played at Comerica Park?
2000
The downtown park replaced Tiger Stadium after the 1999 season.
Q 07How old was Ty Cobb when the Tigers acquired him in 1905?
18
The Georgia Peach won the batting Triple Crown in 1909, hitting .377 with 9 home runs and 107 RBIs.
Q 08Which team beat the Tigers in both the 1907 and 1908 World Series?
Chicago Cubs
Detroit lost a third straight Series to Pittsburgh in 1909, going down 8-0 in Game 7 at Bennett Park.
Q 09Whom did the Tigers beat to win their first World Series in 1935?
Chicago Cubs
The year before, the 101-win Tigers had lost in seven to the Cardinals' Gashouse Gang.
Q 10Hank Greenberg won the 1935 AL MVP with 36 homers and how many RBIs?
168
In 1938 he hit 58 home runs, two short of Ruth's record; he then lost most of four seasons to military service.
Q 11Which Tigers pitcher won the 1945 pitching Triple Crown with 25 wins, a 1.81 ERA and 212 strikeouts?
Hal Newhouser
Prince Hal was MVP in both 1944 and 1945 and started the Series-clinching Game 7 against the Cubs.
Q 12In 1955 Al Kaline hit .340 to become what?
The youngest batting champion in major league history
He was 20; Mr. Tiger finished with 3,007 hits and had his number 6 retired in 1980.
Q 13Which Tigers first baseman won the 1961 batting title with a .361 average?
Norm Cash
The 1961 Tigers won 101 games and led the majors in runs, but still finished behind the Maris-Mantle Yankees.
Q 21Off which Padres reliever did Kirk Gibson hit his three-run homer in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series?
Rich Gossage
Sparky Anderson yelled 'He don't want to walk you!' after Gossage talked manager Dick Williams out of an intentional pass.
Q 22Who was named MVP of the 1984 World Series after homering in his first two at-bats in Game 4?
Alan Trammell
The Tigers' manager became the first to win the World Series in both leagues.
Q 23Before the 1984 Tigers, which team last led its division every day from opening day to a title?
The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
The Tigers swept Kansas City in the ALCS and beat San Diego in five.
Q 14Denny McLain won how many games in 1968, the first pitcher to reach 30 since Dizzy Dean in 1934?
31
He went 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA as Detroit won 103 games and led the AL from 10 May to the finish.
Q 15Who was named MVP of the 1968 World Series after winning three games against the Cardinals?
Mickey Lolich
Detroit came back from 3-1 down; Jim Northrup's triple in Game 7 scored Cash and Horton for a 4-1 win.
Q 16Which pitcher's 1976 rookie season is called 'The Year of The Bird' in Tigers history?
Mark Fidrych
The curly-haired Rookie of the Year talked to the ball and groomed the mound by hand.
Q 17Which pizza magnate bought the Tigers from John Fetzer for $53 million ahead of the 1984 season?
Tom Monaghan
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.
Q 18What was the 1984 Tigers' record after their first 40 games?
35-5
They started 9-0, won a franchise-record 104 games and led the division wire to wire, finishing 15 games clear of Toronto.
Q 19Which pitcher threw a televised no-hitter against the White Sox in the fourth game of 1984?
Jack Morris
Morris went on to pitch two complete-game wins in the World Series; his number 47 was retired in 2018.
Q 20Which reliever won both the AL Cy Young and MVP awards for the 1984 Tigers?
Willie Hernandez
He had arrived from the NL champion Phillies in the off-season; a relief pitcher sweeping both awards is a rarity.
Q 24What was the Tigers' record in 2003, the worst in franchise history?
43-119
They avoided tying the 1962 Mets' 120 losses by winning five of their last six; Mike Maroth went 9-21.
Q 25Which former shortstop managed the 119-loss 2003 Tigers, with Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish on his staff?
Alan Trammell
Trammell was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018 and had his number 3 retired the same year.
Q 26Whose walk-off homer in Game 4 of the 2006 ALCS swept Oakland and sent Detroit to the World Series?
Magglio Ordonez
The Tigers had lost their last five regular-season games to blow the division, then beat the Yankees as a wild card.
Q 27Which umpire's blown call at first base cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game on 2 June 2010?
Jim Joyce
A tearful Joyce apologised, and the next day Galarraga brought the lineup card to the plate and shook his hand.
Q 28Justin Verlander's 2011 AL MVP made him the first pitcher to win the award since whom?
Dennis Eckersley in 1992
Verlander won the pitching Triple Crown that year with 24 wins, a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts, plus a unanimous Cy Young.
Q 29Miguel Cabrera's 2012 Triple Crown was the first in the majors since which player in 1967?
Carl Yastrzemski
Cabrera hit .330 with 44 homers and 139 RBIs and was named MVP; he repeated as MVP in 2013.
Q 30Which team swept the Tigers in the 2012 World Series?
San Francisco Giants
Detroit had swept the Yankees in the ALCS for its 11th AL pennant.