Detroit Tigers Part 2 Continuing from Part 1
which was published on December 27, 2024
1968 World Series
In the 1968 World Series, the Tigers met the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, led by starter Bob Gibson, who had posted a modern-era record 1.12 ERA during the regular season, and speedy outfielder Lou Brock(159)(162)(163). This was the first time the Tigers and Cardinals had met in the World Series since 1934(164). The series was predicated on a bold decision by manager Mayo Smith to play center fielder Mickey Stanley at shortstop, replacing the slick fielding but weak hitting of Ray Oyler(165)(166). Stanley had never played shortstop before, but was a Gold Glover in the outfield and an excellent athlete(165). Smith started him at short for the final six games of the regular season and all seven World Series games, with Oyler only appearing as a late-inning defensive replacement(165)(166). This allowed Smith to play an outfield of Willie Horton, Jim Northrup, and Al Kaline in every game.(165)(166)
In Game 1, Gibson completely shut down the Detroit lineup, striking out a World Series record of 17 batters en route to an easy 4 – 0 win(167)(168). However, due in no small part to pitcher Mickey Lolich’s victories in Games 2 and 5, the Tigers climbed back into the World Series(169). Many fans believe the turning point came in the fifth inning of Game 5, with the Tigers down three games to one, and trailing in the game, 3 – 2. Left fielder Willie Horton made a perfect throw to home plate to nail Lou Brock, who tried to score from second base standing up, as catcher Bill Freehan blocked the plate with his foot(169)(170). The Cardinals would not threaten to score the rest of this game and scored only two more meaningless runs over the remainder of the series. In Game 6, McLain ensured a Game 7 win by notching his only win of the World Series, a 13 – 1 blowout, despite pitching on only two days’ rest.(169)
In Game 7 at Busch Memorial Stadium, Lolich, also pitching on two days rest, faced Gibson(164). Both men pitched brilliantly, putting zeros up on the scoreboard for much of the game(164). In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Cardinals looked primed to take the lead as Lou Brock singled to lead off the inning, only to be promptly picked off by Lolich(164). One out later, Curt Flood followed with another single and was also picked off by Lolich(164). In the top of the seventh, an exhausted Gibson finally cracked, giving up two-out singles to Norm Cash and Willie Horton(164). Jim Northrup then struck the decisive blow, lashing a triple to center field over the head of Flood, who appeared to misjudge how hard the ball was hit(164). That scored both Cash and Horton; Northrup himself was then brought home by a Bill Freehan double(164). Detroit added an insurance run in the ninth(164). A solo home run by Mike Shannon was all the Cardinals could muster against Lolich as the Tigers took the game, 4 – 1, and the World Series, 4 – 3(164)(169). The Tigers became only the third team to ever win the World Series after being down 3 – 1(164). For his three victories that propelled the Tigers to the championship, Lolich was named the World Series Most Valuable Player(164)(169). As of 2024, Lolich is the last pitcher to have three complete-game victories in a single World Series.(145)(164)
1969 – 1971
1969 saw further expansion as both leagues realigned into two divisions of six teams, and the Tigers were placed in the American League East(171)(172). That year, Detroit failed to defend its title, despite Denny McLain having another outstanding season with a 24 – 9 campaign, earning him his second straight Cy Young Award (co-winner with Baltimore’s Mike Cuellar)(173). The Tigers’ 90 wins placed them a distant second in the division to a very strong Baltimore Orioles team, which had won 109 games.(172)(174)
The Tigers suffered a disappointing 1970 season, finishing fourth in the AL East with a 79 – 83 record(175). Following the season, Mayo Smith was let go and was replaced by Billy Martin(176)(177)(178). In a playing career that was primarily spent with the New York Yankees, Martin played his final games with the Minnesota Twins and stayed in the organization after his retirement(178). He managed the Twins to an AL West Division title in 1969 but was fired after that season due to rocky relationships with his players which included a legendary fight with pitcher Dave Boswell in an alley behind Detroit’s Lindell AC sports bar.(178)(179)
Also, during the offseason, Denny McClain, who had been suspended three times and had a 3 – 5 record, was part of an eight-player deal with the Washington Senators in what would turn out to be a heist for Detroit(180)(181)(182)(183). The Tigers acquired pitcher Joe Coleman, shortstop Eddie Brinkman, and third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez. (180)(182)(183)
Martin’s Tigers posted 91 wins in 1971. However, they had to settle for a second-place finish behind the Orioles, who won 101 games to take their third straight AL East crown(184). The season was highlighted by Mickey Lolich’s 308 strikeouts, which led the AL and is still the single-season record in franchise history(145). Lolich also won 25 games and posted a 2.92 ERA while throwing an incredible 376 innings and completing 29 of his 45 starts(185)(186). Coleman paid immediate dividends for Detroit, winning 20 games,(185) while McClain went 10 – 22 for the Senators and was out of baseball by age 29.(181)(182)(187)
1972 AL East Champions
Joe Coleman, Eddie Brinkman, and Aurelio Rodriguez all played critical roles in 1972 when the Tigers captured their first AL East division title(182)(188). Oddities of the schedule due to an early season strike allowed the 86 – 70 Tigers to win the division by just ½ game(188)(189). Brinkman was named Tiger of the Year by the Detroit Baseball Writers, despite a .203 batting average, he committed just 7 errors in 728 chances (.990 fielding percentage) and had a 72-game errorless streak during the season(190). Mickey Lolich was his steady self for the Tigers, winning 22 games with a sparkling 2.50 ERA, while Coleman won 19 and had a 2.80 ERA(189). Starter Woodie Fryman, acquired on August 2nd, was the final piece of the puzzle as he went 10 – 3 over the last two months of the regular season and posted a minuscule 2.06 ERA(191). Fryman was also the winning pitcher in the division-clinching game against the Boston Red Sox, a 3 – 1 victory on October 3rd.(191)(192)
1972 ALCS
In the 1972 American League Championship Series, Detroit faced the American League West division champion Oakland Athletics, who had become steadily competitive ever since the 1969 realignment(193). In Game 1 of the ALCS in Oakland, Mickey Lolich, the hero of ’68, took the hill and allowed just one run over nine innings. The Athletics’ ace, Catfish Hunter, matched Lolich, surrendering only a solo home run to Norm Cash, and the game went into extra innings(193). Al Kaline hit a solo homer to break a 1 – 1 tie in the top of the 11th inning, only to be charged with a throwing error on Gonzalo Marquez’s game-tying single in the bottom half of the frame that allowed Gene Tenace to score the winning run(193). Blue Moon Odom shut down Detroit 5 – 0 in Game 2(193). The end of Game 2 was marred by an ugly incident in which Tigers reliever Lerrin LaGrow hit A’s shortstop and lead hitter Bert Campaneris on the ankle with a pitch. An angered Campaneris threw the bat at LaGrow, and LaGrow ducked just in time for the bat to sail over his head. Both benches cleared, and though no punches were thrown, both LaGrow and Campaneris were suspended for the remainder of the series. It was widely believed that Martin had ordered the pitch that hit Campaneris, who had three hits, two stolen bases, and two runs scored in the game.(193)(194)
As the series shifted to Detroit, the Tigers caught their stride. Joe Coleman held the A’s scoreless on seven hits in Game 3, striking out 14 batters in a 3 – 0 victory for the Tigers(193)(195). Game 4 was another pitchers’ duel between Hunter and Lolich, resulting in a 1 – 1 tie at the end of nine innings. Oakland scored two runs in the top of the 10th and put the Tigers down to their last three outs(193). Detroit pushed two runs across the plate to tie the game before Jim Northrup came through in the clutch again. His single off Dave Hamilton scored Gates Brown to give the Tigers a 4 – 3 win and even the series at two games apiece. (193)
A first-inning run on an RBI ground out from Bill Freehan, set up by a Gene Tenace passed ball that allowed Dick McAuliffe to reach third, gave Detroit an early lead in the deciding fifth and final game in Detroit(193). Reggie Jackson’s steal of home in the second inning tied it up, though Jackson was injured in a collision with Freehan and had to leave the game(193). Tenace’s two-out single to left field plated George Hendrick to give Oakland a 2 – 1 lead in the fourth inning. The run was controversial to many Tigers fans, as Hendrick was ruled safe at first base two batters before the Tenace hit. Hendrick appeared to be out by two steps on a grounder to short, but umpire John Rice ruled that Norm Cash pulled his foot off first base. Replays and photos, however, show that Cash did not pull his foot(148)(193). Thanks to that play and four innings of scoreless relief from Vida Blue, the A’s took the AL pennant and a spot in the World Series, which they eventually won (they would win two more consecutively). (193)
A Slow Decline (1973 – 1978)
The 1973 season saw the Tigers drop to third place in the division, with an 85 – 77 record(196). Joe Coleman posted another 23 wins, but the other Tiger starters had subpar seasons(197). Willie Horton hit .316, but injuries limited him to just 111 games(142). Jim Northrup posted the best batting average of his career (.307) but was inexplicably limited to part-time duty (119 games played), which Northrup attributed to an ongoing feud with Billy Martin that had actually started in the 1972 ALCS. Northrup even proclaimed to the press that Martin “took the fun out of the game”(148). Martin did not survive the 1973 season as manager. He was fired that September after ordering his pitchers to throw spitballs (and telling the press that he did so) in protest of opposing Cleveland Indians pitcher Gaylord Perry, whom Martin was convinced was doing the same(178)(198). Third base coach Joe Schultz served as interim manager for the remainder of the season. (198)
A bright spot for the Tigers in 1973 was relief pitcher John Hiller, who marked his first full season since suffering a heart attack in 1971 by collecting a league-leading 38 saves and posting a brilliant 1.44 ERA(199). Hiller’s saves total would stand as a Tiger record until 2000, when it was broken by Todd Jones’ 42 saves (Jones’ record would later be broken by Jose Valverde’s 49 saves in 2011)(199)(200)(201).
After the season, the Tigers hired Ralph Houk to be their new manager. Houk served in that capacity for five full seasons, through the end of the 1978 season(202). The roster of players who played under Houk were mostly aging veterans from the 1960s, whose performances had slipped from their peak years(203). The Tigers did not have a winning season from 1974 to 1977, and their 57 wins in the 1975 season were the team’s lowest since 1952(204)(205)(206)(207). Perhaps the biggest single decline for the Tigers was Kaline's retirement following the 1974 season after he notched his 3,000th career hit(208)(209). Kaline finished with 3,007 hits and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980. (210)(211).
1976: The Year of the Bird
Tiger fans were provided a glimmer of hope when 21-year-old rookie Mark Fidrych made his debut in 1976(212). Fidrych, known as “The Bird”, was a colorful character known for talking to baseball and other eccentricities(212). During a game against the Yankees, Graig Nettles responded to Fidrych’s antics by talking to his bat. After making an out, he later lamented that his Japanese-made bat did not understand him(213). Fidrych entered the All-Star break at 9 – 2 with a 1.78 ERA and was the starting pitcher for the American League in the All-Star Game played that year in Philadelphia to celebrate the American Bicentennial(212). He finished the season with a record of 19 – 9 and an American League-leading ERA of 2.34(212). Fidrych, the AL Rookie of the Year, was one of the few bright spots that year with the Tigers finishing next to last in the AL East in 1976.(206)(212)
Aurelio Rodriguez won the Gold Glove Award in 1976 at third base, snapping a streak in which Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson had won it for 16 consecutive seasons. (214)
1977 – 1978
Injuries to his knee, and later his arm, dramatically limited Fidrych’s appearances in 1977 – 1978(212). Perhaps more important, however, was the talent coming up through the Detroit farm system at the time, as Jack Morris, Lance Parrish, Alan Trammell, and Lou Whitaker all made their debuts in 1977. Highlighted by Whitaker’s Rookie of the Year season, the Tigers would win 86 games in 1978, the only winning campaign under Houk.(215)(216)
The “Bless You Boys” era (1979 – 1987)
Houk’s immediate successor as Tiger manager in 1979 was Less Moss, but Moss would only last until June of that year(217). From June 14th, 1979, until the end of the 1995 season, the team was managed by George “Sparky” Anderson, one of baseball’s winningest managers of the Cincinnati Reds during their peak as The Big Red Machine in the 1970s (218). When Anderson joined the Tigers in 1979 and assessed the team’s young talent, he boldly predicted that it would be a pennant winner within five years.(219)
Acerbic sports anchor Al Ackerman initiated the phrase “Bless You, Boys”. Originally used as a sarcastic remark, Ackerman’s phrase would take on a new meaning in 1984.(220)(221)
The Roar of ’84: 1984 World Series Champions
As in 1968, the Tigers’ next World Series season would be preceded by a disappointing second-place finish, and the 1983 Tigers won 92 games to finish six games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. (222)
The first major news of the 1984 season actually came in late 1983, when broadcasting magnate John Fetzner, who had owned the Tigers since 1957, sold the team to Domino’s Pizza founder and CEO Tom Monaghan for $53 million.(223)(224)
The 1984 team got off to a 9 – 0 start highlighted by Jack Morris tossing a nationally televised no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox in the fourth game of the season(225)(226). They stayed hot for most of the year, posting a 35 – 5 record over their first forty games and cruising to a franchise-record 104 victories(227). The Tigers led the division from opening day until the end of the regular season and finished a staggering 15 games ahead of the second-place Toronto Blue Jays(227). Closer Willie Hernandez, acquired from the 1983 NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason, won both the Cy Young and AL MVP, a rarity for a relief pitcher. (228)
1984 ALCS
The Tigers faced the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series. In Game 1, Alan Trammell, Lance Parrish, and Larry Herndon went deep to crush the Royals 8 – 1 at Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium)(229). In Game 2, the Tigers scored twice in the 11th inning when Johnny Grubb doubled off Royals closer Dan Quisenberry en route to a 5 – 3 victory(230)(231). The Tigers completed the sweep at Tiger Stadium in Game 3. Marty Castillo’s third-inning RBI fielder’s choice would be all the help Detroit would need. Milt Wilcox out-dueled Charlie Leibrandt, and after Hernandez got Darryl Motley to pop out to preserve the 1 – 0 win, the Tigers were returning to the World Series.(230)(232)
1984 World Series
In the NLCS, the San Diego Padres rallied from losing the first two games to overcome the Chicago Cubs and prevent a fifth Cubs-Tigers series. The Tigers would open the 1984 World Series on the road in San Diego.(233)
In Game 1, Larry Herndon hit a two-run home run that gave the Tigers a 3 – 2 lead(234). Jack Morris pitched a complete game with 2 runs on 8 hits, and Detroit drew first blood(234)(235). The Padres evened the series the next night despite their pitcher Ed Whitson being chased after pitching two-thirds of an inning and giving up three runs of five Tiger hits(234)(236). Tiger starter Dan Petry exited the game after 4 1/3 innings when Kurt Bevacqua’s three-run homer gave San Diego a 5 – 3 lead they would hold onto.(234)(236)
When the series shifted to the Motor City, the Tigers took command. In Game 3, a two-out rally in the second inning, highlighted by Marty Castillo’s 2-run homer, led to four runs and the yanking of Padre starter Tim Lollar after 1 2/3 innings(234)(237). The Padres never recovered, losing 5 – 2(234)(237). Eric Show continue the parade of bad outings in Game 4, getting bounced after 22/3 innings upon giving up home runs to World Series MVP Alan Trammell in his first two at-bats. Trammell’s homers held up with the help of another Morris complete game, and the Tigers’ 4 – 2 win gave them a commanding lead in the series.(234)(238)
In Game 5, Kirk Gibson’s two-run shot in the first inning would be the beginning of another early end for the Padres’ starter Mark Thurmond(234)(239)(240). Though the Padres would pull back even at 3 – 3, chasing Petry in the fourth inning in the process, the Tigers retook the lead on a Rusty Kuntz sacrifice fly (actually a pop-out to retreating second baseman Alan Wiggins that the speedy Gibson was able to score on), and then went up 5 – 3 on a solo homer by Parrish.(234)(239)(240)
A “Sounds of the Game” video was made during the Series by MLB Productions and played on TV several times since then. Gibson came to bat in the eighth inning with runners on second and third and the Tigers clinging to a 5 – 4 lead(234)(239)(240). Padres’ manager Dick Williams was shown in the dugout flashing four fingers, ordering an intentional walk, before San Diego reliever Goose Gossage summoned him to the mound. Sparky Anderson was seen and heard yelling at Gibson. “He doesn’t want to walk you!”, and making a swing-the-bat gesture(241). As Anderson had suspected, Gossage threw a 1 – 0 fastball on the inside corner, and Gibson was ready. He launched the pitch into Tiger Stadium’s right-field upper deck for a three-run homer, effectively clinching the game and the series.(234)(239)(240)(242)
Aurelio Lopez pitched 21/3 innings of relief and retired all seven batters he faced, earning the win. Despite allowing a rare run in the top of the 8th inning, Willie Hernandez got the save as Tony Gwynn flew out to Larry Herndon to end the game, sending Detroit into a wild victory celebration.(234)(239)(240)
The Tigers led their division wire-to-wire, from opening day and every day thereafter, culminating in the World Series championship. This had not been in the major leagues since the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers(243). With the win, Anderson became the first manager to win the World Series in both leagues. (244)
1987 AL East Champions
After a pair of third-place finishes in 1985 and 1986,(245)(246) the 1987 Tigers faced lowered expectations – which seemed to be confirmed by an 11 – 19 start to the season(247). However, the team hit its stride thereafter and gradually gained ground on its AL East rivals(247). This charge was fueled in part by the acquisition of pitcher Doyle Alexander from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for minor league pitcher John Smoltz. Alexander started 11 games for the Tigers, posting a 9 – 0 record and a 1.53 ERA. Smoltz, a Michigan native, went on to have a long and productive career, mostly with the Braves, and was ultimately inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015(247)(248). Despite the Tigers’ great season, they entered September neck-and-neck with the Toronto Blue Jays. The two teams would square off in seven hard-fought games during the final two weeks of the season. All seven games were decided by one run, and in the first six of the seven games, the winning run was scored in the final inning of play. At Exhibition Stadium, the Tigers dropped three in a row to the Blue Jays before winning a dramatic extra-inning showdown. (247)
The Tigers entered the final week of the 1987 season 2.5 games behind(247). After a series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Tigers returned home trailing by a game and swept by the Blue Jays(247). Detroit clinched the division in a 1 – 0 victory over Toronto in front of 51,000 fans at Tiger Stadium on October 4th. Frank Tanana went all nine innings for the complete game shutout, and outfielder Larry Herndon gave the Tigers their lone run on a second-inning home run. Detroit finished the season two games ahead of Toronto, securing the best record in the majors (98 – 64). (247)(249)
In what would prove to be their last postseason appearance until 2006, the Tigers were upset by the 1987 American League Championship Series by the 85 – 77 Minnesota Twins (who in turn won the World Series that year) 4 – 1(247)(249)(250). The Twins clinched the series in Game 5 at Tiger Stadium, 9 – 5.(251)
A new approach (1988 – 1995)
Despite their 1987 division title victory, the Tigers proved unable to build on their success. The team lost Kirk Gibson to free agency in the offseason, but still spent much of 1988 in first place in the AL East. A late-season slump left the team in second place at 88 – 74, one game behind the Boston Red Sox(252)(253). In 1989, the team collapsed to a 59 – 103 record, the worst in the majors.(254)(255)
The franchise then attempted to rebuild using a power-hitting approach, with sluggers Cecil Fielder, Rob Deer, and Mickey Tettleton in the lineup (fitting for the team with the most 200+ home run seasons in baseball history)(256). In 1990, Fielder led the American League with 51 home runs (becoming the first player to hit 50 since George Foster in 1977, and the first AL player since Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961), and finished second in voting for AL MVP(257)(258)(259). He hit 44 home runs and collected 132 RBI in 1991, again finishing second in the AL MVP balloting(260). Behind the hitting of Fielder and others, the Tigers improved by 20 wins in 1990 (79 – 83) and posted a winning record in 1991 (84 – 78)(261)(262). However, the team lacked quality pitching, despite Bill Gullickson’s 20 wins in 1991, and its core of key players beginning to age, setting the franchise up for decline(263). Detroit’s minor league system was largely barren of talent as well, producing only a few everyday players during the 1990s (264)(265)(266). Adding insult to injury, in December 1990 the Tigers and radio station WJR announced that they were not renewing the contract of long-time Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Ernie Harwell and that the 1991 season would be the last with the team(267). The announcement was met with resounding fan protests, both in Michigan and around the baseball world. (268)
1992 saw the Tigers win only 75 games, with Fielder being one of the few bright spots as he won the AL RBI title for a third straight season (124)(269)(270). In August 1992, the franchise was sold to Mike Ilitch, the President and CEO of Little Ceasars Pizza who also owned the Detroit Red Wings(271). One of Ilitch’s first priorities as the new owner was to rehire Ernie Harwell(272). Late in the season, Sparky Anderson won his 1,132nd game as a Tiger manager, passing Hughie Jennings for the most all-time wins in franchise history(49). The team also responded with an 85 – 77 season in 1993, but it would be their last winning season for almost a decade and a half. (273)(274).
On October 2nd, 1995, Sparky Anderson chose to not only end his career with the Tigers but retire from baseball altogether. (275)
Randy Smith era (1996 – 2002)
From 1994 to 2005, the Tigers did not post a winning record, the longest sub-.500 stretch in franchise history(273)(274)(276). In 1996, they lost a then-team record 109 games, under new general manager Randy Smith(276)(277)(278). The only team in the majors to have a longer stretch without a winning season during this time was the Pittsburgh Pirates, who failed to post a winning record from 1993 to 2012(279). The Tigers’ best record over this span was 79 – 83, recorded in 1997 and 2000. (276)
In 1998, the Tigers moved from the AL East, where they had been since the AL and NL split into divisions in 1969, to the AL Central as part of a realignment necessitated by the addition of the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays. (280)(281)(282)
In 2000, the team left Tiger Stadium in favor of Comerica Park. (283)
Soon after it opened, Comerica Park drew criticism for its deep dimensions, which made it difficult to hit home runs; the distance to the left-center field (395 feet), in particular, was seen as unfair to hitters. This led to the nickname “Comerica National Park”(284). The team made a successful bid to bring in slugger Juan Gonzalez from the Texas Rangers for the inaugural season at Comerica Park(285). After four consecutive seasons of no fewer than 39 home runs, Gonzalez only hit 22 homers in 2000. He cited Comerica Park’s dimensions as a major reason why he turned down a multiyear contract extension(286). In 2003, the franchise largely quieted criticism by moving the left-center field fence to 370 feet, taking the flagpole in that area out of play, a feature carried over from Tiger Stadium(287). In 2005, the team moved the bullpens to the vacant area beyond the left field fence and filled the previous location with seats. (288)
In late 2001, Dave Dombrowski, former general manager of the 1997 World champion Florida Marlins, was hired as team president(289). In 2002, the Tigers started the season 0 – 6, prompting Dombrowski to fire the unpopular Smith, as well as manager Phil Garner. Dombrowski then took over as general manager and named bench coach Luis Pujols to finish the season as interim manager(290)(291). The team finished 55 – 106. After the season was over, Pujols was let go. (292)
Most losses in franchise history (2003)
Dave Dombrowski hired popular former shortstop Alan Trammell to manage the team in 2003(293). With fellow 1984 teammates Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish on the coaching staff, the rebuilding process began(129). On August 30th, 2003, the Tigers’ defeat at the hands of the Chicago White Sox caused them to join the 1962 New York Mets, who were a first-year expansion team, as the only modern MLB teams to lose 100 games before September(294). They avoided tying the 1962 Mets’ then-modern MLB record of 120 losses only by winning five of their last six games of the season, including three out of four against the Minnesota Twins, who had already clinched the AL Central and were resting their stars.(129)(295)
Mike Maroth went 9 – 21, becoming the first pitcher to lose 20 games since Brian Kingman lost 20 for the Oakland Athletics in 1980(296). Maroth, Jeremy Bonderman (6 – 19), and Nate Cornejo (6 – 17) were the top three pitchers in losses in the entire major leagues, the first time in history that this had occurred.(297)(298)(a)
The Tigers finished 43 – 119, the worst record in franchise history(129)(295)(298). This eclipsed the previous AL record of 117 losses set by the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics,(300) which was later surpassed by the 2024 Chicago White Sox(301)(302)(303). While the 2003 Tigers rank as the fourth worst team in major league history based on total losses,(301)(303), they fare slightly better based on winning percentage. Their .265 win percentage is the majors’ seventh-worst since 1900.(297)(303)
Rebuilding the Franchise (2004 – 2006)
After the embarrassing 2003 season, the Tigers vowed to make changes(295)(304). Under Dave Dombrowski, the franchise demonstrated a willingness to sign marquee-free agents(305). In 2004, the team signed or traded for several talented but high-risk veterans, such as Fernando Vina, Rondell White, Ivan Rodriguez, Ugueth Urbina, and Carlos Guillen, and the gamble paid off(306)(307)(308)(309)(310). The 2004 Tigers finished 72 – 90, a 29-game improvement over the previous season(129)(311)(312). This was the largest improvement since the Baltimore Orioles had a 33-game improvement from 1988 to 1989(312).
Before the 2005 season, the Tigers spent a large sum for two prized free agents, Troy Percival and Magglio Ordonez(313)(314). On June 8th, 2005, the Tigers traded pitcher Ugueth Urbina and infielder Ramon Martinez to the Philadelphia Phillies for Placido Polanco(315). The Tigers stayed on the fringes of contention for the AL wild card for the first four months of the season, but then faded badly, finishing 71 – 91(312)(316). The collapse was perceived as being due both to injuries and a lack of player unity; Rodriguez, in particular, was disgruntled, taking a leave of absence during the season to deal with a difficult divorce(312)(317). Trammell, though popular with the fans, took part of the blame for the poor clubhouse atmosphere and lack of continued improvement, and he was fired at the end of the season.(312)
A highlight of the 2005 campaign was Detroit’s hosting of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, its first since 1971(318). In the Home Run Derby, Rodriguez finished second, losing to the Phillies’ Bobby Abreu. (319)
In October 2005, Jim Leyland, who managed Dombrowski’s 1997 World Series champion Florida Marlins, replaced Trammell as manager; two months later, in response to Troy Percival’s arm problems, closer Todd Jones, who had spent five seasons in Detroit (1997 – 2001), signed a two-year deal to return to the Tigers(320)(321). Veteran left-hander Kenny Rogers also joined the Tigers from the Texas Rangers in late 2005. (321)
The Return of the Tigers: 2006 American League Champions
After years of futility, the 2006 season showed signs of hope. The impressive rookie campaigns of eventual AL Rookie of the Year Justin Verlander, centerfielder Curtis Granderson, and flamethrowing relief pitcher Joel Zumaya, coupled with a well-publicized early-season tirade by Leyland, helped the team explode and quickly rise to the top of the AL Central(129)(274). The team reached a high point when they were 40 games over .500, but a second-half swoon started to raise questions about the team’s staying power(101)(274). On August 27th, a 7 – 1 victory over the Cleveland Indians gave the Tigers their 82nd victory and their first winning season since 1993(274)(322)(323). On September 24th, the Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 11 – 4 to clinch their first playoff berth since 1987(324)(325). A division title seemed inevitable. All that was required was one win in the season's final five games, which included three games against the Royals, whom the Tigers had manhandled much of the season. However, the Tigers lost all five games to finish 95 – 67, and the division title went to the 96 – 66 Minnesota Twins. The Tigers instead settled for the AL wild card. (326)
The playoffs saw the Tigers beat the heavily favored New York Yankees 3 – 1 in the ALDS and sweep the Oakland Athletics in the 2006 ALCS, thanks to a walk-off home run in Game 4 by right fielder Magglio Ordonez(327)(328). They advanced to the World Series, where they lost to the underdog St. Louis Cardinals in five games. (329)
Part 3 Will be posted on Friday January 3, 2025
