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Table of Contents
Detroit Tigers
Origins & Name
Military Roots of the Name The Tigers’ nickname comes from Michigan military units like the “Fighting Tigers,” not striped socks. 1)
Early History
Franchise Founding The Tigers began in 1894 as a Western League team, becoming a charter AL club in 1901. 2)
First Game Comeback Detroit’s first major league game—on April 25, 1901—was a 14–13 comeback win. 3)
Old English D Logo Debut In 1907, the club adopted the famous Old English “D” logo. 4)
Tigers Legends
Ty Cobb’s Arrival Ty Cobb joined the Tigers in 1905 at age 18. 5)
Cobb on Integration Cobb advocated allowing African American players decades before MLB integrated. 6)
Al Kaline’s Debut Al Kaline debuted in 1953 and became a Tigers legend. 7)
Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg Hank Greenberg was Detroit’s pre-eminent slugger of the 1930s–40s. 8)
Stadiums & Ballparks
Bennett Park Beginnings The Tigers played at Bennett Park as early as 1895. 9)
Navin Field Opens Tiger Stadium (originally Navin Field) opened in 1912, just days after the Titanic sank. 10)
Titles at Tiger Stadium Tiger Stadium hosted World Series wins in 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984. 11)
Ruth’s Record Breaker On July 18, 1921, Babe Ruth hit a 560-foot homer at Navin Field—the longest verified at the time. 12)
Gehrig Ends Streak On May 2, 1939, Lou Gehrig voluntarily benched himself at Briggs Stadium, ending his 2,130-game streak. 13)
Chuck Hughes Tragedy NFL player Chuck Hughes collapsed and died during a game at Tiger Stadium in 1971. 14)
Home Runs Count Tiger Stadium closed having seen exactly 11,111 MLB home runs hit there. 15)
Comerica Park Debut Since 2000, the Tigers have played at Comerica Park. 16)
Keyhole Removed Comerica Park removed MLB’s final dirt “keyhole” before the 2025 season. 17)
Upgraded Videoboard Comerica installed the second-largest videoboard in MLB—over 15,600 sq ft—for the 2024 season. 18)
Team Performance & Records
Four Championships The Tigers have World Series titles from 1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984. 19)
Eleven Pennants Detroit has captured 11 AL pennants. 20)
1915 Century Mark The 1915 Tigers won 100 games but still lost the pennant. 21)
1996 Collapse Detroit lost a franchise-record 109 games in 1996. 22)
1998 Realignment The team moved to the AL Central division in 1998. 23)
2005 All-Star Game Comerica Park hosted the 2005 MLB All-Star Game. 24)
2009 Collapse Detroit became the first team to lose a three-game lead with four games left in 2009. 25)
2013 All-Stars Six Tigers were named to the 2013 MLB All-Star team. 26)
ALDS Strikeout Record Detroit struck out 57 Oakland batters in an ALDS—an MLB record. 27)
2018 Draft Pick Detroit secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. 28)
2019 Home Losses The 2019 Tigers tied the modern-era record for most home losses. 29)
Minor League Affiliates The Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A) and Erie SeaWolves (Double-A) are Tigers affiliates. 30)
Canadian Fan Base The Tigers enjoy a substantial fan following in southwestern Ontario, Canada. 31)
Notable Seasons & Myths
The “G-Men” Trio The 1934 Tigers were nicknamed the “G-Men” for Gehringer, Greenberg, and Goslin. 32)
Miggy’s Triple Crown Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012. 33)
Jim Leyland Era Jim Leyland managed the Tigers from 1999 to 2013—one of the longest tenures in franchise history. 34)
Fan Experience & Mascots
PAWS Debut Masôt PAWS first appeared on May 5, 1995. 35)
Theme-Night Costumes PAWS dresses up for theme nights like “Christmas in July,” enhancing game-day fun. 36)
Willie Horton Tribute Comerica Park features a statue of Willie Horton, whose number is retired—and Michigan observes “Willie Horton Day.” 37)
Recent Highlights (2025)
Fastest to 40 Wins Detroit became the first MLB team to reach 40 wins in the 2025 season. 38)
Hot April Start They notched 19 wins before May 1—a franchise first. 39)
Power Duo Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene both exceeded 13 HR and 40 RBIs by June—a first for Tigers teammates. 40)
Skubal’s Shutout Tarik Skubal threw a 13-strikeout complete-game shutout on 94 pitches in May 2025. 41)
Aggressive Baserunning In 2025, Detroit led MLB in “extra bases taken” percentage—the highest in 50 years. 42)
Run Value Balance The Tigers ranked second in MLB with +10 runs from extra bases taken, compared to –4 from stolen bases the prior year. 43)