Detroit Tigers

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Detroit Tigers

Established:	1901
Former Team Names:	N/A
Ballpark:	Comerica Park
World Series Titles:	4
Pennants:	10
Division Titles:	3
Wild Cards:	1

1 Franchise History
2 Retired Numbers
3 Local Media
4 External Links

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Franchise History

The Detroit Tigers are one of the eight charter members of the American League, and one of four (along with the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians) to have remained in its original city. They are also the only charter member of the Western League to have remained in its original city.

Detroit's first major league entry was the Detroit Wolverines, members of the National League from 1881 through 1888. The nickname came from Michigan's nickname, "The Wolverine State." The nickname "Wolverines" is now associated with the University of Michigan. The Wolverines' best year was 1887, when they won the National League pennant and also won the World Series over the American Association champions, the St. Louis Browns. The Wolverines' top players were Hall of Famers "Big Sam" Thompson and Dan Brouthers. Thompson won the 1887 NL batting championship, and thus is the answer to the trivia question, "Name the only person ever to win the National League batting championship while playing for Detroit."

Despite their championship, the team did not draw enough fans to stay solvent at the major league level, as Detroit had not yet become the large, industrial city it is today. Thus the team was disbanded after the 1888 season, and the city of Detroit was temporarily relegated to minor league status. A new team formed and joined the International League in 1889, and promptly won the league championship. Their fans' joy came to an abrupt end as the league temporarily disbanded in mid-1890, and took the Detroits with them. An attempt was made to revive the old Northwestern League in 1891, but it also collapsed in mid-season, and Detroit professional baseball took a short hiatus.

When the Western League reorganized for the 1894 season, the Detroit club was a charter member. By 1896, they had acquired the nickname "Tigers" (see below). They had also built a new ballpark, at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues, which would remain their base of operations for the next 104 seasons. When the Western reorganized in 1900 as the American League, it was still officially a minor league, but the following year the league broke with the National Agreement and declared itself a major league.

The Detroit Tigers played their first game as a major league team on April 25, 1901 at Bennett Park in front of 10,000 fans against the Milwaukee Brewers. After trailing 13-4 entering the ninth inning, the team staged a dramatic comeback to win the game 14-13.

That 1901 team eventually finished third in the eight team league. Eleven years later, an elegant stadium was constructed on the site of Bennett Park and named Navin Field. In 1961, Briggs Stadium, as it was then known, was renamed Tiger Stadium. Tiger Stadium was used by the Tigers until the end of the 1999 season. Since 2000, the Tigers have played in Comerica Park.

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