Detroit Tigers (1901-Present)

Historical Moments:
1901: On April 24th the Tigers prepared to take to the field for their first official American League game, as a standing room only crowd was anticipated at Bennett Park, but unpredictable weather postponed the opening by a day. The next day in front of 10,000 fans, the Tigers entered the 9th inning trailing Milwaukee, 13-4. A series of hits and miscues followed, moving the score to 13-12 with 2 runners on, and 2 out, as Frank "Pop" Dillon faced reliever Bert Husting. The left-handed hitter rapped a 2-run double to complete a 14-13-comeback win. The Tigers would go on to finish their inaugural season in 3rd place with a solid 74-62 record.

1902: The Tigers would not do as well in their 2nd season as they struggled all year and finished in 7th place with a record of 52-83.

1903: The Tigers struggles continued as they finished 25 games out in 5th place with a record of 65-71.

1904: The Tigers post their 3rd straight losing season finishing in 7th place with a record of 62-90.

1905: On August 30th Tyrus Raymond Cobb made his Major League debut with Tigers. Over the next 22 years he would be a fixture in the Tigers lineup setting many different records along the way and earning the reputation as the dirtiest player that ever lived. The Georgia Peach as he was known would sharpen his spikes before each game and slide feet up with the intent of drawing blood from opposing players. Cobb would constantly get in fights with both teammates an opponent and would be the most hated player in baseball. In Cobb's first season the Tigers would improve from a 90-loss season to finish in 3rd Place with a 79-74 record.

1906: In Ty Cobb's first full season the Tigers suffers a family tragedy, affecting his on the field performance as the Tigers fall to 6th Place with a disappointing 71-78 record.

1907: With a .350 batting average Ty Cobb wins the first of 9 straight batting titles. The Tigers also see the emergence of 2 other individuals, neither of them players, who would both play significant roles in turning the fortunes of the young Tigers. One was Frank Navin, who began as a bookkeeper with the franchise in 1902 before acquiring a full half interest ownership in the club and becoming team president. After Ban Johnson's retirement in 1927, Navin came to be regarded by many as the most powerful man in the American League. The other was Hughie Jennings, a keen judge of talent who would lead the club to three consecutive league championships as one of the most colorful managers in major league history. That same 1907 season, the Tigers won their first pennant, taking the American League by 1and half games with a mark of 92-58. However, the Tigers would go on to be swept in 4 straight after tying the first game of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs. Among the World Series disappointments is Ty Cobb who only hits .200 in the Fall Classic.

1908: Thanks to Ty Cobb taking his 2nd straight batting title, along with winning the RBI crown the Tigers win 90 games and their 2nd straight pennant by only a half a game. In the World Series the Tigers face the Chicago Cubs in the World Series for the 2nd year in a row. However like the previous year the Tigers don't put up much of a fight winning only 1 game and being shutout in the final two games. However, Cobb does put up better numbers with a .368 average including 4 hits in the Tigers lone win in Game 3.

1909: Ty Cobb leads the way again capturing the Triple Crown, and leading the Tigers to a 98-54 record for the 3rd straight AL Pennant. In the World Series the Tigers face the Pittsburgh Pirates who are lead by Honus Wagner, who is as close to a polar opposite to Cobb as they come. This would set the stage for one of the best early World Series. The Pirates would take Game 1 thanks to a game saving catch by Tommy Leach. The Tigers would bounce back to take Game 2 in a game highlighted by Ty Cobb's steal of home. In Game 3 the Pirates led by Honus Wagner's 3 hits and RBI hold off the Tigers late rally to take a 2-1 series lead. The Tigers would even the series in Game 4 thanks to George Mullins shutout. However the Tigers would face the brink in Game 6 after Fred Clarke's 3-run Homer broke open a tie game in Game 5. The Tigers would bounce back once again to force the first Game 7 in World Series history. However it was not meant to be as the Bucs scored 8 runs as the Tigers walked the plank in the Series for the 3rd year in a row.

1910: In one of the strangest races for the batting title ever Ty Cobb battles Cleveland's Nap Lajoie to the final ay of the season. To add extra drama the Chalmer's Automobile Company promised a car to the winner. With the Tigers out of the Pennant race Cobb decides to sit out the final games of the season thinking his crown was safe at .385. However Lajoie benefited from the hatred of Cobb and reached base every time in a double header against the St. Louis Browns. However one of the hits was ruled an error and Cobb held on to the batting title by 1 thousandth of a point. In the end Chalmer's would gives both players a new car, as the Tigers finished in 3rd with an 86-68 record.

1911: There would be no doubt to the 1911 batting champion as Ty Cobb would bat a personal best .420 to win his 5th consecutive batting title. However, the Tigers would not be as successful finishing 13 and half games out of first in 2nd Place with a solid 89-65 record.

1912: The Tigers begin play in their new stadium named after Frank Navin. The Stadium would change names, but would remain the home of the Tigers for the next 87 years. However, the story of the season comes during a game at New York in May, where Ty Cobb receives his typical heckling but this time goes in the stands to attack a fan that referred to him as a "half-nigger". Cobb beats the fan relentlessly, and when he is finally pulled away it is learned that the fan has no hands as was virtually defenseless to Cobb's attack. In response the American League suspends Cobb indefinitely for his vicious attack. Cobb's Tiger teammates feeling he was in the right for being called such an insult decided to strike in protest of Cob's suspension. With the players all walking out in support of Cobb the team is forced to field a bunch of players from a sandlot. The sandlot players lose to the Philadelphia Athletics 24-2 and the Tigers players are ordered back and fined by the American League. Cobb would eventually return after a week and would go on to win his 6th straight batting title with a .410 average, as the Tigers slipped to 6th Place with a 69-84 record.

1915: Ty Cobb wins the last of his 9 straight batting titles as the Tigers win 100 games. However, they would fall a frustrating 2 and half games short of the AL Pennant.

1916: Despite hitting .371 Ty Cobb fails to win the batting crown, as the Tigers still put up a solid season finishing in 3rd place with an 87-67 record.

1917: With a .383 average Ty Cobb regain the batting title. However, the Tigers would play mediocre baseball all season finishing in 4th place with a 78-75 record.

1918: Despite Ty Cobb winning the batting crown again with a .382 average the Tigers struggle all season finishing in 7th place with a disappointing record of 55-71.

1919: Ty Cobb wins his record 12th batting title in 13 years with an average of .384, as the Tigers finished in 4th place with an 80-60 record.

1920: Ty Cobb misses out on the batting crown as the Tigers struggle all season finishing in 7th place with a miserable record of 61-93.

1921: In his first year as player-manager Ty Cobb hits an impressive .389, but loses the batting crown to teammate Harry Heilmann. However, it does not translate into wins as the Tigers finish in 6th with a 71-82 record.

1922: With a .401 batting average Ty Cobb hits over .400 for the 3rd and final time in his career. However, he dose not come close to winning the batting title as St. Louis Browns George Sisler hits an incredible .420. The Tigers would experience frustration as team also finishing in 3rd place with a 79-75 record.

1923: The Tigers climb up to 2nd place but finish a distant 16 games behind the New York Yankees with a record of 83-71.

1924: The Tigers finish in 3rd place in a tight 3-team race for the AL Pennant with a solid, but unrewarding record of 86-68.

1925: The Tigers finish in 4th place with a record of 83-71.

1926: The Ty Cobb era comes to an end after 22 years in Detroit when The Georgia Peach is sold to the Philadelphia Athletics. Cobb would go on to retire after only 2 season in Philadelphia. He would end his career with 4,191 hits a record that stood for almost 60 years. He would also end his career with a lifetime batting average of .367 that may never be topped. In Cobb's final season the Tigers would finish in 6th place with a record of 79-75.

1927: In their first year without Ty Cobb the Tigers still manage a respectable 81-72 record, while finishing in 4th Place.

1928: The Tigers would struggle all season finishing in 6th place with a poor record of 68-86.

1929: The Tigers finish in 6th place for the 2nd straight season posting a record of 70-84.

1930: The Tigers continue to sit in the middle of the pack as they finish in 5th place with a record of 75-79.

1931: The Tigers struggle all season as they finish in 7th place with a terrible record of 61-93.

1932: The Tigers end a string of 4 consecutive losing seasons, with a 76-75 record, that lands them in 5th Place.

1933: The Tigers suffer a setback falling back below .500, and landing in 5th place with a disappointing record of 75-79.

1934: Prior to the start of the season the Tigers, who were coming of 5 losing seasons in 6 years attempted to acquire Babe Ruth from the Yankees to fill both the need for another hitter, and a new manager. However Frank Navin was unable to pull off the deal and was forced to look elsewhere. Navin would end up purchasing Catcher Mickey Cocherane from the Philadelphia Athletics, and named him catcher-manager. The move ended up working out as Cocherane claimed the AL MVP, and led the Tigers to 101-53 record, which was good enough to win the AL pennant by 7 games over the New York Yankees. However the star of the season may have been Schoolboy Rowe who set a Major League record by winning 16 straight decisions. In the World Series the Tigers faced a St. Louis Cardinals team that was known as the Gas House Gang, for their rough style of play. After splitting the first 4 games the Tigers won Game 5 on Charlie Gehringer's HR, and held a 3-2 series lead with the final 2 games in Detroit. However the Tigers would lose Game 6 on Paul Dean's 6th inning single, and would lose Game 7 in an 11-0 rout. During the Game 7 rout a brawl erupted after the Cards Joe Medwick slid hard into 3rd. After the dust settled Medwick had to be removed form the game for his own safety after Tiger fans started throwing bottles, and other debris at him. The loss marked the 4th World Series disappointment for Detroit Tigers.

1935: With Hank Greenberg capturing the MVP with a league high 36 HR, and 170 RBI the Tigers won their 2nd Consecutive AL Pennant, with a 93-58 record. In the World Series the Tigers faced the Chicago Cubs who crushed the Tigers championship hopes twice before. In Game 1 it looked as if it was well on the way of happening again as the Cubs shutout the Tigers 3-0 in Detroit. However, the Tigers would bounce back right away when the first 4 Tigers scored in Game 2 on the way to an 8-3 series evening win. In Game 3 the Tigers would win in extra Innings after blowing a 2-run lead in the 9th. The Tigers would win Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead, but after losing Game 5 they found themselves in the same position as the year before up 3-2 with the final 2 at home. In Game 6 the score would be tied heading to the bottom half of the 9th. Mickey Cocherane would lead off with a single, a grounder would move him to 2nd, with Goose Goslin stepping up to the plate. Goslin would promptly deliver a single and Cocherane would score the Series winning run to capture the Detroit Tigers their first ever World Championship. The joy of the Tigers championship would be short lived as club President Frank Navin succumbed to a heart ailment on November 13 just a little over a month after the end of the World Series. Walter Briggs Sr. who was already half owner of the club would go on to take over the club's presidency.

1936: The Tigers follow up their World Championship by finishing nearly 20 games out of first despite finishing in second place with an 83-71 record.

1937: For the 2nd straight season the Tigers finish in a distant 2nd place, despite posting a solid record of 89-65.

1938: Manager Mickey Coherence is fired after the Tiger slump most of the first half of the season holding a record of 47-51. However, under new Manager Del Baker the Tigers would finish on a strong note winning nearly two-thirds of their final 56 games to finish in 4th place with a record of 84-70.

1939: The Tigers are unable to build off their strong finish as they land in 5th place despite a respectable record of 81-73, finishing 26 and half games out of first place.

1940: After losing out to the New York Yankees for the AL Pennant 4 years in a row The Tigers find themselves in a tight race down to the finish with the Yankees, and Cleveland Indians. Led by Hank Greenberg who won his 2nd MVP, and BoBo Newsome who won 21 games on the mound, the Tigers win the Pennant by 1 game with a 90-64 record. In the World Series the Tigers would face the Cincinnati Reds, and the 2 teams would split the first 4 games. The Tigers would capture Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, as BoBo Newsome won his 2nd game of the series. However, after the Tigers lost Game 6 they would call on Newsome to pitch Game 7 on just 1-day rest. Through the first 6 innings Newsome kept the Reds off the board, but back-to-back 7th Inning doubles gave the Reds a 2-1 lead that would hold up, as the Tigers lost the World Series for the 5th time in 6 trips.

1941: Anticipating the United States getting involved in World War II, Hank Greenberg enlists in the Army in May, only 19 games in to the season. Without him the Tigers would slip to 5th place with a record of 75-79. All was not lost for Detroit that season as Briggs Stadium played host to the 1941 All-Star Game. The Game would be remembered as one of the best ever as Ted Williams' walk off HR won the game 7-5 for the American League.

1942: The Tigers continue to struggle with Hank Greenberg off fighting in World War II, finishing in 5th place with a record of 73-81.

1943: Still playing without Hank Greenberg the Tigers play mediocre baseball finishing in 5th place with a record of 78-76.

1944: With AL MVP Hal Newhouser winning 29 games and Dizzy Trout winning 27, the Tigers climbed back into the Pennant picture. However, the rest of the team could provide little help, as the Tigers missed out on the Pennant by 1 game, with a record of 88-66.

1945: Again the Tigers find themselves in a tight pennant race as Hal Newhouser wins 25 games with a 1.81 ERA to claim his 2nd straight MVP. The MVP win for Newhouser makes him the first pitcher to win back-to-back MVP, and only the 2nd to win 2. (No one has accomplished either feat since). As for the pennant hopes the Tigers would get a boost when Hank Greenberg returned to play the in the 2nd half after Adolph Hitler was defeated. Fate would intervene to help Detroit, as the Washington Nationals, who led the AL were forced to sit and watch the final week of the season. Prior to the season Nats ownership decided to end the season a week early to ready their stadium for football. The move would backfire, as the Tigers were able to surged ahead and claim their 7th AL Pennant with an 88-65 record. In the World Series the Tigers would face a familiar opponent in the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers would get off on the wrong foot has Hal Newhouser was shelled in Game 1 and the Cubs took the first game 9-0. Fortunately, the Tigers would bounce back to win Game 2 thanks to a 3-run Homer from Hank Greenberg. After the Cubs won Game 3 the Tigers would bounce back to claim both Games 4 and 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. However a wild Game 6 would see the Cubs win in the 9th on Stan Hack's line double to force a 7th and deciding game. However, Game 7 would not even be close as the Tigers jumped on Cubs pitcher Hank Doorway to score 5 runs without the durable Cubs pitcher recording an out in the 1st. Newhouser would go on to pitch a complete game as the Tigers won 9-3 to claim their 2nd World Championship.

1946: The Tigers follow up their Championship season by winning 92 games, but they would fall 12 games short of a return trip to the World Series.

1947: The Tigers fall 12 games short of first again finishing in 2nd place with a record of 85-69.

1948: The Tigers play mediocre baseball all season finishing in 5th place with a record of 78-76.

1949: After a mediocre season the Tigers put up a solid 87-67 record, but can only mange a 4th place finish 10 games out of first.

1950: With the acquisition of future Hall-of-Famer George Kell and an influx of young talent the Tigers lead the American League for 119 days. However, the powerful New York Yankees would over take them and win the pennant by 3 games, as the Tigers settled for 2nd with a 95-59 record.

1951: After challenging for the Pennant the Tigers suffer through a disappointing 73-81 season while finishing in 5th place.

1952: The Tigers suffer through one of the worst seasons in franchise history that would see them land in last place with an awful 50-104 record.

1953: The Tigers continue to struggle finishing in 6th place with a record of 60-94.

1954: The Tigers struggles continue as they finish in 5th place with a sub-mediocre record of 68-86.

1955: At the age of 20 Al Kaline playing, who was playing in just his 2nd full season wins the AL Batting Title with a .340 mark. This would make Kaline the youngest player ever to capture the batting crown. However the Tigers would not fair as well finishing in 5th place with a 79-75 record.

1956: The Tigers crack the 80-win barrier for the first time in 6 years, with an 82-72 record , but still finish 15 games out of first in 5th place.

1957: The Tigers suffer a slight setback finishing in 4th place with a disappointing record of 78-76.

1958: The Tigers continue to play mediocre baseball finishing in 5th place with a losing record of 76-78.

1959: The Tigers continue to float around .500 finishing with a 76-78 record for the second straight season while landing in 4th place.

1960: Four years after the Briggs family sold the ball cub to a group of radio and television executives the Tigers are taken over solely by one of those executives John Fetzer. One of Fetzer's first moves was to renovate and rename the Stadium to the more familiar Tiger Stadium. However, the team would still struggle to finish in 6th place with a 71-83 record.

1961: With Norm Cash winning the batting title with a .361 average, the Tigers win 101 games. However, the Tigers would finish in 2nd place, 8 games behind the New York Yankees, who were one of the greatest teams in baseball history.

1962: The Tigers are unable to match their outstanding 101-win season, falling back to 4th place with an 86-75 record.

1963: The Tigers continue to produce dwindling results finishing in 5th place with a disappointing record of 79-83.

1964: The Tigers rebound slightly climbing back to 4th place while posting a record of 85-77.

1965: The Tigers rebound off 3 mediocre seasons to an 89-73, but still can't get close to an American League Championship, finishing in 4th Place, 13 games out of 1st.

1966: Manager Chuck Dressen is forced to step down due to an illness early in the season. Under Managers Bob Swift and Frank Skaff the Tigers would not miss a beat finishing in 3rd place with a solid 88-74 record.

1967: With Earl Wilson leading the way with 22 wins, and 4 Tigers slugging 20 or more Home Runs the Tigers find themselves in the thick of a 5-team race for the AL pennant. The Tigers would stay in the race until the final day of the season with a 91-71 record, but would come up 1 game short as the Boston Red Sox claimed the Pennant.

1968: After 23 years of frustration, there would be no denying the Tigers, as they won 103 games and claimed the AL Pennant by 12 games over the Baltimore Orioles. The story of the Tigers season would be Denny McLain who would have a career year winning 31 games and claiming both the AL Cy Young, and MVP. The 31 wins by McLain will likely go down as the last player ever to win 30 games in a single season. In the World Series the Tigers would face the St. Louis Cardinals who were trying to claim their 2nd Consecutive World Championship. Game 1 would see Denny McLain face the Cards Bob Gibson who himself won both the Cy Young and MVP with a record low ERA of 1.12. However Gibson would grab all the headlines shutting out the Tigers, while striking out a World Series single game record 17. The Tigers would bounce back in Game 2 as Mickey Lolich pitched a complete game and helped himself at the plate with a HR. However the Tigers would find themselves in a 3-1 series hole after the Cards won Game 3 on Tim McCarver's 3-run Homer, and Game as Bob Gibson shut down the Tigers for the 2nd time in the Fall Classic. In Game 5 things would look even bleaker for the Tigers as the Cards took an early 3-0 lead. However, Mickey Lolich would not allow another run, and the Tigers would rally and would take the lead on Al Kaline's 7th Inning Bases Loaded Single. Despite the win the Tigers were still backed against the wall trailing 3-2 and heading to St. Louis. The Tigers would go on to win Game 6 thanks to 10 runs in the 3rd, as Denny McLain's won his first Series game after losing 2. Despite forcing a 7th and deciding game the Tigers still faced an uphill battle as the Cards sent Bob Gibson to the hill for his 8th straight Series win. To counter Gibson the Tigers sent Mickey Lolich to the mound who himself was seeking his 3rd win of the series. The game would be scoreless until the 7th, when Jim Northrup lined a ball over the head of the Cardinals Curt Flood to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. The 3 runs would be enough, as Lolich would allow just 1 run as the Tigers went on to claim their 3rd World Championship.

1969: Despite Denny McLain winning 24 games, and earning a split of the Cy Young Award, the Tigers would not be a factor for the Eastern Division Title, as the finished a distant 19 games behind the first place Baltimore Orioles with a 90-72 record.

1970: Denny McLain who won 55 games in 1968 and 1969 would experience a sudden and embarrassing fall from grace. The season started with McLain being suspended for 2 months for associating with known gamblers, and the mob. The Tigers would fall to 4th Place with a 79-83 record, as McLain finish the season with a 3-5 record. Following the season he would be traded to the Washington Senators following the season. McLain's career would end after 2 more additional poor season. After baseball McLain's life would take an even harder fall, as he would spend much of the next 30 years in and out of prison.

1971: For the 3rd and final time Tiger Stadium hosted the All-Star Game. The Game would be forever remember for Reggie Jackson of the Oakland A's majestic HR off the RF Light tower, as the AL broke a 8-game All Star Losing streak with a 6-4 win. The American League will not win another All-Star Game for 12 years. However, win were not as scarce for the Tigers as the team finished in 2nd Place with a 91-71 record.

1972: With Billy Martin leading the way as manager the Tigers finish the season with a record of 86-70, a half game ahead of the 2nd place Boston Red Sox. The Tigers would benefit from a strike at the start of the season, which gave the Tigers 1 more game, then the Sox that the Tigers won and were able to claim the division with. In subsequent years division champs would have to at least win by 1 game because of the controversy caused by this finish. In the ALCS the Tigers would face the Oakland Athletics. The A's would take the first 2 games to place the Tigers on the brink with series heading to Detroit. After the Tigers won Game 3 they faced the end of their season trailing 3-1 in the 10th inning of Game 4. However a walk, wild pitch, and an error set Jim Northrup up with runners on 2nd and 3rd with a run in. Northrup would deliver with a single to score the tying and winning runs to force a 5th and deciding game. However Blue Moon Odom would hold the Tigers to just 1 run in Game 5 as the A's went on to the World Series with a 2-1 win.

1973: Coming off their first Division Championship the Tigers struggle, while Manager Billy Martin is fired in the middle of the season after feuding with management. With Joe Schultz leading the team the remainder of the season the Tigers would finish in 3rd Place with an 85-77 record.

1974: On September 24th Al Kaline doubled down the RF line at Tiger Stadium to collect his 3,000th career hit. In what would end up being Kaline's final season, the Tigers great would end up collecting 7 more hits to bring his career total to 3,007, as the Tigers sank to Last Place with a 72-90 record.

1975: In their first year without Al Kaline the Tigers struggles would worsen, as the team finished dead last with a woeful 57-102 record.

1976: With the Tigers wallowing at the bottom of the AL East one player would emerge as a fan favorite for not only Tigers fans, but also all of baseball. That player was 22-year-old rookie pitcher Mark Fidrych who earned the nickname of The Bird, and would thrill fans with his antics on the mound and the way he dominated AL batters. Fidrych would often fidget with the dirt on the mound and talk to the baseball before delivering a pitch would be the player everyone would come out to see in 1976. The Tigers would sell out every game he pitched, and when he went on the road they would notice larger then normal crowds there just to watch him. Fidrych would become the top story of the first half of the season and even started in the All-Star Game. At season's end Fidrych would capture the AL ERA title, and won 19 games on the way to the Rookie of the Year. However the Tigers could only mange to finish in 5th Place with a 74-87 record.

1977: In Spring Training Mark Fidrych would injure his knee and it would cost him to miss the 6 weeks of the season. The Bird would come back strong winning 6, and he would be named to Al-Star Team. However, during a game in Baltimore on the 4th of July Fidrych would get shelled, and would begin noticing a problem with his arm. He would make just one start after the All-Star Break before shutting it down for the rest of the season. Little did any one know at the time "The Bird" would never be the same again as he only won another 4 games in 3 years before being released by the Tigers in 1980. Fidrych would have his career end quietly in the minor leagues just a few years later. One interesting side note came when a rookie came up to take a start for Fidrych. A disappointed Tiger Stadium crowd, who wanted to see the Bird pitch, would boo the rookie. The Rookie was Jack Morris who would go on to win more games in the 1980's then any other pitcher. With Tigers well out of the race in September, and on the way to a 4th place 74-88 record, the Tigers called up two rookie middle infielders from the Minor Leagues. The two rookies Alan Trammell, and Lou Whitaker would go on to lay much of the next 18 years side by side on the Tigers infield playing a total of 1,918 games together.

1978: The Tigers end a string of 4 straight losing seasons with an 86-76 record, but can only mange a 5th Place finish.

1979: Midway through the season the Tigers would hire Sparky Anderson to lead the young Tigers into battle on the field. Anderson who was recently fired by the Reds made name for himself as the manger of "The Big Red Machine" which dominated the National League for much of the 70's winning 2 World Series and 4 Pennants. Under Anderson the Tigers would go on to finish in 5th place with an 85-76 record.

1980: In Sparky Anderson's first full season as Manager the Tigers would remain in the middle of the pack finishing in 5th place with a record of 84-78.

1981: In a season split in 2 by a 2-month strike the Tigers challenge for first place before and after the work stoppage posting a solid overall record of 60-49.

1982: The Tigers hover around .500 all season, finishing in 4th place with a disappointing record of 89-73.

1983:The Tigers youth finally begins to gel as the Tigers manage to get back into a real Pennant Race for the first time in 10 years. However, the Baltimore Orioles would end up pulling away and the Tigers finish 6 games back despite a 92-70 record.

1984: The Tigers would get off to a flying start and would not look back, as they won their first 9 games highlighted by a No-Hitter by Jack Morris. Even after losing the 10th game of the season the Tigers would not slow down going on to win 35 of their first 40 games for the best 40 game record in baseball history. The Tigers would go on to win a club best 104-58 record, winning the division easily by 15 games over the 2nd place Toronto Blue Jays. The Tigers dominance would carry over into the ALCS as they swept an over matched Kansas City Royals team in 3 straight. In the World Series the Tigers would face the upstart San Diego Padres who no one expected to make it this far. The Tigers would fall behind early in Game 1, but Larry Herndon delivered a 2-run Homer, and Jack Morris settled down as the Tigers took the opener 3-2. The Tigers would be stunned in Game 2 by Kurt Bevaqua's 3-run Homer which helped the Pads even the series at a game apiece heading to Detroit. The Tigers would benefit from 11 walks to win Game 3 by a 5-2 score, and would then take a commanding 3-1 lead with help of a pair of 2-run Homers by Alan Trammel in Game 4. In Game 5 the Tigers would take an early lead thanks to a Homer by Kirk Gibson. However the Padres would battle back to tie the game. The Tigers would retake the lead only to have the Pads pull to within one with the game heading into the bottom of the 8th. With 2 on and 2 outs the Padres decided not walk Kirk Gibson, who would promptly deliver a majestic HR into the upper deck to slam the door shut on the Padres' hopes. The Tigers 4th World Championship would also give Sparky Anderson the distinction of being the first Manager to lead a team to win World Championship in both leagues.

1985: At the age of 38 Darrell Evans would hit 40 HR, and would become the oldest player to ever win a HR title. Despite Evans' Home Runs the Tigers could not repeat the magic of the year before and would manage to an 84-78 record, finishing in 3rd Place 15 games out of first.

1986: The Tigers struggle to injuries and frustration early in the season as they are never real a factor in the race despite a strong finish that sees tem land in 3rd place with an 87-75 record.

1987: The Tigers would struggle early getting off to an 11-19 start, but the Tigers would get back into the race in the 2nd half and would find themselves in a battle with the Toronto Blue Jays for the Division Title until the final week of the season. All hope looked lost for the Tigers when they lost a series in Toronto with a week to go to fall 4 games out of 1st. However the Blue Jays would lose 4 straight and would enter the final series of the season with a 1 game lead over the Tigers with 3-games in Detroit. The Tigers took the first two, 4-3 on Friday and 3-2 in 12 innings the next day. With a one-game lead, Frank Tanana out-dueled the Jays' Jimmy Key on Sunday as Larry Herndon's solo homer proved the only scoring in a 1-0 Eastern Division clinching triumph, as the Tigers posted a 98-64 record. In the ALCS the Tigers would face the Minnesota Twins who won only 85 games to win a weak Western Division. However the Twins had a tremendous home field advantage, and with first 2 games in the Metrodome they would take full advantage, and the Tigers were in the hole 2-0 heading to Detroit. In Game 3 the Tigers saw a 5-0 lead wilt away, and entered the 9th trailing 6-5. However Pat Sheridan delivered a dramatic walk of Homer and the Tigers showed life. Unfortunately for the Tigers the life would only be temporary as the Twins won the next 2 games in Detroit to complete the upset and advance to the World Series.

1988: Despite the loss of Kirk Gibson to free agency the Tigers find themselves in thick of the race until the final week of the season once again. However, the Tigers could not repeat the final week magic, and wound up in 2nd just 1 game behind the first place Boston Red Sox with an 88-74 record.

1989: After being one of the most consistent teams in the 80's the Tigers stun their fans and all of baseball by struggling early and falling into the Eastern Division Cellar, as the Tigers would not recover from a bad satrt posting a stunning 59-103 record. Among the Tigers having a disappointing year, was Jack Morris who had a career worst record of 6-14.

1990: Cecil Fielder who was considered a bust in Toronto would return to the majors with Tigers after a brief exile in Japan. Fielder would go on to win the HR and RBI crowns in his first season with the Tigers, as. Fielder's 51 Homers marked the first time a player reached the 50 HR mark in 13 years. As the Tigers recovered from an awful 103-loss season, finishing in 3rd place with a 79-83 record.

1991: With Cecil Fielder repeating as HR and RBI champion the Tigers would find themselves in the race for the division title until the end of the season. However, the Tigers would fade late, and would wind up in a tie for 2nd 7 games behind the 1st place Toronto Blue Jays with an 84-78 record.

1992: The Tigers would struggle again and would fall to 6th Place with a disappointing record of 75-87.

1993: The Tigers rebound off their poor season to finish in 3rd Place with a solid record of 85-77.

1994: The Tigers were floundering in Last Place with a record of 53-62, when the season ended prematurely due to a Players Strike on August 12th.

1995: After 16 and half season at the helm Sparky Anderson stepped down as manager of the Detroit Tigers, after a 4th Place 60-84 season. Although the early years of his Detroit tenure are marked with success the Tigers manage to make it into the World Series just once.

1996: As the players that led the Tigers for most of the last 15 years retired, management was unable to find suitable replacements. This would leave the Tigers with a bad team in a crumbling ballpark. The Tigers entered the season with Buddy Bell at the helm and started losing early and often. By midseason the Tigers were well on their way to 100 loses and decided to deal Cecil Fielder to the New York Yankees. In the deal the Tigers were unable to get anything of value and fell even more eventually establishing a club worse record of 53-109.

1997: After their wretched 109-loss season the Tigers mange a 26-game improvement to post a 79-83 record, which was good enough to land them in 3rd Place.

1998: With expansion the Tigers are moved to the AL Central. However, in a new division, the Tigers would fall back to last place posting a 65-97 record.

1999: After 87 years of baseball at Tigers Stadium's famous location on Michigan and Trummbull Avenues the Tigers played their last game on September 27th. With a sellout crowd of 43,356 fans the Tigers introduced 63 of their greatest players in an on field ceremony, which left no dry eyes in the house. The Tigers would go on to win the 6,783rd and final game at the old stadium 8-2 over the Royals, with Catcher Robert Fick hitting the final HR in the 8th inning of the roof in RF. However, it would be another year of disappointment as the team finished in 3rd place, with a 69-92 record.

2000: On April 11th a sold out crowd braved 34-degree temperatures to see the first game at Comerica Park. The Tigers would go on to win that game 5-2 over the Seattle Mariners. However, the Tigers would struggle early in their new stadium as they got used to the cavernous OF. One move that backfired right away was the acquisition of Juan Gonzales who never got used to playing in the pitcher friendly stadium and would walk away at season's end. To acquire Gonzales the Tigers dealt away 3 of their top prospects and would eventually be left with nothing to show. Despite the failure of Gonzales the Tigers would catch fire in the 2nd half to climb black into the race for the Wild Card thanks in part to Todd Jones who would take home the Fireman award with 42 saves. However, the Tigers would fade in September, and eventual finish with a disappointing 79-83 record.

2001: The Tigers suffer their 8th straight losing season, narrowly avoiding another visit to the cellar with a wretched 66-96 record.

2002: From the very beginning off the season it was clear it was going to be a dreadful season as Manager Phil Garner is fired in the middle of an awful 0-11 start. Under his replacement Luis Pujols the Tigers would not fare much better as the Tigers finished the season on a losing note as well winning just 6 of their last 36 games to finish in last place with a hideous 55-106 record. The awful season would also see an end of an era as longtime announcer Ernie Harwell retires at season's end.

2003: Hoping to turn their fortunes around the Tigers turned to their glory days by hiring Alan Trammel to be the team's new manager, while fellow member of the 1984 Championship team Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish joined him on the coaching staff. However, none of it would have any bearing on the field as the Tigers were simple terrible all season as they lost their first 9 games on the way 3-21 record at the end of April. The losses would continue to mount as the Tigers entered the all-star break with a 24-67 record, which made them the laughing stocks of the Major Leagues. Through August the losses continued to pile up as the Tigers were on pace for the modern day record for losses in a season, while 3 pitchers were in danger of losing 20 games. The Tigers would lose their 100th game before September even began, as each night they were compared to the 1962 New York Mets who lost 120 games. Hoping not to shake his confidence too much the Tigers shut down Jeremy Bonderman when he lost his 19th leaving Mike Maroth alone to become the first pitcher since 1980 to lose 20 games in a season, as Nate Cornejo pitched strong down the stretch, finishing with a 6-17 record. Heading into the last week the Tigers set the AL record for losses in a season and needed a strong week to avoid an embarrassing 120-loss season, which they would be able to avoid thanks to winning 5 of their last 6 games. However a pitiful 43-119 record would leave the 2003 Tigers as possibly the worst team in the history of the American League.

2004: Knowing there is no place to go but up the Tigers would be active in the Free Agency market signing pitcher Jason Johnson, 2B Fernando Vi�a, OF Rondell White and post-season hero catcher Ivan Rodriguez. With the new additions the Tigers were better right away starting the season with 4 straight wins a year after it took them 29 games to get their 4th win. The Tigers would go on to post a winning record in April at 12-11, as the Tigers hovered around .500 for the entire first half of the season. However, over the last 2 months the Tigers would struggle as they posted a record of 72-90 and finished in 4th place. However the improved pitching of Mike Maroth and Jeremy Bonderman who each posted 11-13 records after their dreadful 2003 seasons.

2005: With the addition of Magglio Ordo�ez, and Troy Percivial the Tigers hoped they could continue to improve, and through much of the first half they did indeed play better baseball hanging around .500 as they hit the All-Star Break with a 42-44 as young players like Chris Shelton had a break out season, while Placido Polanco acquired in a midseason deal with the Philadelphia Phillies made an immediate impact batting .338 in 86 games with the Tigers. However, Tigers pitching struggled as Mike Mararoth and Jermey Bonderman both had mediocre records with high ERAs, while Troy Percival was a complete bust with just 8 saves in 26 games with a 5.76 ERA before injuries ended his season. The competitive play that marked the Tigers first half would vanish down the stretch as they lost 28 of their last 38 games on the way to finishing in 4th place with a 71-91 record that would see Manager Allan Trammel fired and replaced by Jim Leyland following the season.

2006: The first thing Jim Leyland did upon taking over as manager was to make a cosmetic change to the Tigers ditching the logo used since 1994 that featured a Tiger walking through an old English D, and using just the Tigers traditional D, saying it appeared to be a "caged tiger." When the season began the Tigers came roaring out of the gate winning their first five games. However, the good start would not last as they dropped their first three home games and slipped to 7-7, when Leyland launched into a tirade against the team about its lack of effort, saying "We Stink" to a group of reporters. The tirade worked wonders as it lit a fire under the Tigers as they won 28 of their next 35 games securing first place in the AL Central. Along the way the emergence of previously unknown players Curtis Granderson, Brandon Inge, Craig Monroe and Marcus Thames became the driving force for the now uncaged Tigers, all of whom had career years. However, it was the Tigers pitching staff which was the catalyst for their sudden success, as despite the loss of Mike Maroth to bone chip surgery the Tigers young arms became one of the top staffs in the American League. Having the best year was 23 years old Justin Verlander who had a team high 17 wins and won the Rookie of the Year. On the opposite end of the age spectrum was Kenny Rogers whom the Tigers signed in the off-season, and became the veteran leader equaling Verlander's 17 wins, while continuing a surprising resurgence after turning 40. One early criticism of the Tigers was they had a easy schedule, and after losing three straight to the New York Yankees at home, it was hard to argue against that notion. None the less the Tigers continued to rack up the wins in June as they held a 59-29 record heading into the All-Star Break. In the second half the Tigers even answered their critics winning back to back series against the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics as they appeared to be cruising to one of their best season in franchise history at 76-36 on August 7th. However, in that game 2B Placido Polanco suffered a separated shoulder. This would lead to the Tigers going into their first prolonged slump of the season as their offense suddenly lost its bite, as their young pitching staff began to suffer from tired arms, as the Tigers once comfortable double digit lead over the Minnesota Twins to vanish, as they won just 19 of their last 50 games, which included loses in their final five games as the Twins captured the division title on the last day of the season. However, the Tigers still managed to make the playoffs as the Wild Card with a record of 95-67, as Jim Leyland was named Manager of the Year.

2006: In the playoffs most doubted the Tigers could rebound from their last season slump as they faced the New York Yankees in the ALDS. After losing Game 1 by a score of 8-4 it looked like Tigers great run was going to come to a quick end in the playoffs, as they trailed the Yankees 3-1 in Game 2. However led by the bat of Curtis Granderson who drove in two runs the Tigers rallied to take the lead 4-3, a lead that would hold as Joel Zumaya dominated the Yankees hitting 102 mph on the radar gun while retiring all five batters. As the series shifted to Detroit it was the old vet Kenny Rogers shaking off postseason failures of the past to dominate the Yankees bats allowing just five hits over seven and two thirds innings, as Granderson drove in two more runs batting ninth to lead the Tigers to a 6-0 win. Game 4 would also be no contest as the Tigers hammered Jaret Wright and Corey Lidle to take a 7-0 lead after five innings as they went on to win the series in four with an 8-3 win. The Tigers continued to roll in the ALCS jumping all over Barry Zito led by Brandon Inge who hit ninth and drove in two runs while going 3-for-3 with a double and homer as the Tigers won the opener 5-1. In Game 2 the Tigers again caught lighting in the battle as seldom used Alexis Gomez started as the DH and drove in four runs as the Tigers rallied from an early deficit to win 8-5. As the series shifted to Detroit, Kenny Rogers was dominate again allowing just two hits in seven and a third as the Tigers took a commanding 3-0 lead with a 3-0 win. With a chance to close the series with a sweep the Tigers fell behind early, however they would battle back to tie the game 3-3 in the 6th inning on a solo HR by Magglio Ordonez. The game would stay tied until the 9th inning when Ordonez played the hero role again smashing a three run series winning walk off Home Run off Huston Street to send the Tigers to the World Series with a 6-3 win, as Placido Polanco now recovered from his shoulder injury was named ALCS MVP. Sweeping would have a negative side effect as the Tigers were off for a week before the Fall Classic against the St. Louis Cardinals began. The Tigers appeared rusty in Game 1 as three costly errors helped the Cardinals win the opened 7-2. The Tigers would turn to Kenny Rogers in Game 2 as he handcuffed the Cardinals all day allowing two hits over eight innings, as controversy ensued over weather Rogers was putting pine tar on the baseball in a series evening 3-1 win. As the series shifted to St. Louis it was the Tigers hitters who were handcuffed as they managed just three hits against Chris Carpenter losing 5-0. After rain pushed Game 4 back a day the Tigers came out strong taking a 3-0 lead. However, the Cardinals would come flying back to win again as the Tigers continued to struggle with errors in a 5-4 loss. There would be comeback for the Tigers as the Cards went on to win the series in five games with a 4-2 win as Tigers pitchers set a dubious record with five errors in five games.

2007: Coming off their trip to the World Series the Tigers looked to be primed for another run, as their roster remained fairly intact with the addition of DH Gary Sheffield. However, injuries became a real concern early in the season as Kenny Rogers missed most of the first half after having surgery to have a blood clot removed from his arm. However, it would be the Tigers bullpen that would take the biggest hit as Tim Byrdak, Edward Campusano, Fernando Rodney, Jair Jurrjens, and Joel Zumaya all missed significant time. Despite the injuries the Tigers were in the running all season, as they posted a solid 52-34 first half record, highlighted by Justin Verlander's June 12th No Hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers, and a three game sweep of the Boston Red Sox heading into the All-Star Break. After the All-Star Game the Tigers injuries began to catch up with them as they dropped 11 of 13 games, including a three game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels that saw the Tigers pitching staff battered for 34 runs. August would be a key month for the Tigers as they started the month neck and neck with the Cleveland Indians for the Central Division lead and ended the month in tail spin with an 11-18 record. As September began the Tigers rebounded winning 11 of 15 games heading into a key three game series against the Cleveland Indians. However, needing to win the series to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Tigers are swept as they fell short of their goal of reaching the playoffs for a second straight season, as they limped home with an 88-74 record. However despite the disappointing finish baseball in Detroit was back and better then ever as the Tigers drew 3 Million fans for the first time in team history. Following the season the Tigers looking to improve made a blockbuster deal with the Florida Marlins to acquire All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for prospects Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo, Eulogio de la Cruz, Dallas Trahern and Burke Badenhop.