History of the Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers, established in 1901, is one of only a few major league baseball teams that has had only one name and one city in its history. The Tigers had a successful early start, winning three American League pennants in their first decade. They had their best season in 1984, when they had 104 wins and 58 losses.

1901-1909

The Detroit Tigers were established as a major league baseball team in the same year, 1901, that the American League was started as part of major league baseball. They played their first two years in two parks - Burns Park on Sundays and Bennett Park the rest of the week. In 1903, Bennett Park became the Tigers full-time home until 1912.

The Tigers had their first winning season in their first year, finishing in 1901 with 74 wins and 61 losses. Their next winning season came four years later. The 1905 season opened well for the team with their acquisition of future Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. They finished the season with 79 wins and 74 losses.

The Tigers had five managers in their first six years. George Stallings led them in 1901, followed by Frank Dwyer in 1902, and Ed Barrow in 1903 and 1904. Bobby Lowe also managed the team in 1904. Bill Armour took over in 1905, and he managed the team for five years.

In 1907, under new manager Hughie Jennings, the Tigers won their first of three consecutive American League pennant races. They lost, however, the three World Series, the first two to the Chicago Cubs and the third, in 1909, to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They ended the decade with their best season, finishing the 1909 season with 98 wins and 54 losses.

1910-1919

The Tigers had winning seasons in 1910 and 1911. They moved their home games to Tiger Stadium in 1912, and then had two losing seasons.

Under the continuing leadership of Hughie Jennings, the Tigers had winning seasons from 1914 through 1917 and in 1919. In addition to Ty Cobb, the team was helped to wins by future Hall of Famers Sam Crawford and Harry Heilmann.

Winning seasons were not enough to get the Tigers to the postseason. Even with 100 wins in 1915, they didn't make it to the World Series.

1920-1929

In 1921, Ty Cobb took over as manager of the Tigers. He led them to winning seasons from 1922 through 1926. Their best season was 1924, when they had 86 wins and 68 losses. In 1927, with new manager George Moriarty, they had another winning season. It would be their last one until 1932. They didn't get to the postseason during the 1920s.

Bucky Harris took over as manager of the Tigers in 1929. He would continue to manage the team through 1933.

1930-1939

The Tigers of the 1930s had new players, including future Hall of Famers Mickey Cochrane, Hank Greenberg, and Charlie Gehringer. These power hitting players led the Tigers to American League pennants in 1934 and 1935 and their first World Series win in 1935.

After a poor showing in 1931, with 61 wins and 93 losses, manager Bucky Harris led the Tigers to a winning season in 1932 (76-75). They dropped down to 75 wins and 79 losses in 1933, and Harris was replaced the following season by player-manager Mickey Cochrane.

Cochrane led the Tigers to 101 wins and 53 losses in 1934. They won the AL pennant but lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals. The following season, he again led them to a pennant win, with 93 wins and 58 losses during the regular season. They then went to the postseason and won their first World Series title by defeating the Chicago Cubs.

Cochrane shared managerial duties with Del Baker in 1936 and 1937, and Baker took over the job in 1938. Under their leadership, the Tigers had winning seasons from 1936 through 1939, but they didn't go to the postseason.

1940-1949

Del Baker led the Tigers to another AL pennant win in 1940, when they finished with 90 wins and 64 losses. They lost the World Series that year to the Cincinnati Reds.

After another slip down in the standings in 1941 and 1942, Baker was replaced by Steve O'Neill as manager. The Tigers had winning seasons in 1943 and 1944, but they didn't get to the postseason until 1945. That year, they had 92 wins and 62 losses in the regular season. They faced the Cubs in the World Series and won their second World Series title. It would be their last postseason win for more than 20 years.

The Tigers continued to have winning seasons from 1945 through 1949, but they didn't see postseason play. Red Rolfe took over the manager position in 1949, and he continued to lead the team to 1952.

In the 1940s, the Tigers added two more future Hall of Famers to their roster. Hal Newhouser joined the team in 1939 and he played with them through 1953. George Kell played with them from 1946 through 1952.

1950-1959

In the 1950s, the Tigers had winning seasons in 1950, 1955, 1956, and 1957. Their best season was 1950, when they had 95 wins and 59 losses. They had no postseason play from 1950 through 1959. Two future Hall of Famers who helped the Tigers win games in the latter half of the decade were Al Kaline and Jim Bunning.

The Tigers had six managers from 1950 through 1959. Red Rolfe managed to 1952, when he was replaced by Fred Hutchinson, who contined to manage through 1954. Bucky Harris returned to the team to manage them in 1955 and 1956. In 1957, Jack Tighe took over but he was replaced in 1958 by Bill Norman, who lasted only until 1959, when Jimmy Dykes became the new manager.

1960-1969

The Tigers began to improve at the start of the 1960s, with winning seasons in 1961 and 1962. Still, they couldn't get past the powerhouse New York Yankees in the standings. The team consistently had winning records from 1964 through 1967. During this time, they added new players, including pitchers Denny McLain and Mickey Lolich, to their roster.

The Tigers finished in the American League in 1967 just one game behind the Boston Red Sox. The next year, they finished with 103 wins and 59 losses and won the AL pennant. In 1968, Denny McLain won the AL Cy Young award and the AL MVP award.

The Tigers played the Cardinals in the postseason in 1968 and they won the World Series. Mickey Lolich was named the World Series MVP.

In 1969, the Tigers were moved to the AL East division. They had another winning season that year, helped by Denny McLain, who won his second consecutive AL Cy Young award.

Although the Tigers played well in the 1960s, they had a constant change of managers during those years. They had seven managers, starting with Jimmy Dykes and Joe Gordon in 1960, and ending with Mayo Smith from 1967 to 1970. In between were Bob Scheffing (1961-1963), Chuck Dressen (1963-1966), Bob Swift (1965-1966), and Frank Skaff (1966).

1970-1979

The 1970s started with a new manager, Billy Martin, and three consecutive winning seasons (1971-1973). Although the Tigers had a strong 1971 season, with 91 wins and 71 losses, they didn't make the postseason that year. In 1972, when they had 86 wins and 70 losses, they won the American League East division title. They went to the postseason and lost the AL Championship series to the Oakland Athletics.

Martin was replaced by Joe Shultz as interim manager for 28 games in 1973. Ralph Houk took over in 1974, but his success over the next four years resulted in only losing seasons. In 1978, his last year as manager, Houk led the team to 86 wins and 76 losses, but again no postseason play.

In 1976, the Tigers had an AL Rookie of the Year in pitcher Mark Fidrych. That year, he led the AL in ERA. Two future Hall of Famers were added to the Tigers' roster in 1977. Pitcher Jack Morris played with them through 1990, and shortstop Alan Trammell stayed with the Tigers for almost two decades (1977-1996).

The Tigers' 1979 season started with Les Moss as manager. After 53 games, he was replaced with Sparky Anderson, who would continue to manage the team through 1995.

1980-1989

Anderson, who had led the Big Red Machine of Cincinnati to victories, succeeded with the Detroit Tigers in the 1980s. They had winning seasons in 1980 and from 1982 through 1988. Their best season was in 1984, when they had 104 wins and 58 losses.

The Tigers won the AL East division title in 1984, the American League pennant, defeating the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS, and their fourth World Series title, defeating the San Diego Padres in the series. Anderson led the team to only one more postseason. In 1987, with 98 wins and 64 losses, they again won the AL East division title. They then faced the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS and lost the series. Anderson won his second AL Manager of the Year award with the Tigers in 1987, just three years after winning his first one.

After winning 88 games in 1988, the Tigers had a drastic, fast decline in 1989, finishing with a 59-103 record.

1990-1999

The Tigers improved in 1991 and 1993, with winning seasons those two years. However, they went into a downslide afterwards and by 1996, they had their worst season, with 53 wins to 109 losses. Buddy Bell, who took over as manager in 1996, lasted only until 1998, when he was replaced by Larry Parrish.

In 1998, the Tigers were moved to the newly formed AL Central division.

2000-2009

The Tigers started the new century in a new ballpark, Comerica Park. It didn't help the team and they continued to have losing seasons from 2000 through 2005. Their first two managers were Phil Garner (2000-2002) and Luis Pujols (2002). Alan Trammell returned to the Tigers to manage the team in 2003.

The Tigers hit rock bottom in 2003, when they had a humiliating season with 119 losses to just 43 wins. Despite the terrible start for Trammell in 2003, he continued to manage the team through two more losing seasons.

In 2006, Jim Leyland was hired to manage the Tigers and he quickly and dramatically turned the team around. After twelve losing seasons, Leyland led the Tigers to 95 wins and 67 losses in 2006. They won an AL Wild Card spot, won the ALDS over the Yankees, and defeated the Athletics in the ALCS to advance to the World Series. They lost the series in five games to the Cardinals. Leyland was rewarded for his work with the team in 2006 with the AL Manager of the Year award.

Although the Tigers didn't get to the postseason again until the next decade, they had winning seasons in 2007 and 2009.

One of the key players who helped the Tigers win was third baseman Placido Polanco, who was the ALCS MVP in 2006. He won a Silver Slugger award in 2007 and Gold Gloves in 2007 and 2009. Outfielder Curtis Granderson joined the team in 2004 and played with them through 2009. Two players who continued to impact the team through the following decade were pitcher Justin Verlander and power hitting infielder Miguel Cabrera.

2010-2018

Leyland continued to manage the team through 2013, leading them to winning seasons from 2011 through 2013. They went to the postseason each of those years, winning the AL Central division title each time. They won the ALDS over the Yankees in 2011, but lost the ALCS to the Texas Rangers. The next year, they defeated the Athletics in the ALDS and the Yankees in the ALCS, but they lost the World Series to the San Francisco Giants. In 2012, Miguel Cabrera won the AL Triple Crown and the AL MVP award.

Max Scherzer joined the Tigers in 2010, and by 2013, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball, winning the AL Cy Young award that year. Cabrera again was named the AL MVP. Both players helped the Tigers win 93 games and advance again to the ALDS. They once more defeated the Athletics, but then lost the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox.

The Tigers' 2014 season started with a new manager, Brad Ausmus. In his first season, he led the team to 90 wins and 72 losses and another first place finish in the AL Central division. This time they lost the ALDS in a three game sweep by the Baltimore Orioles.

Although Ausmus led the Tigers to a winning season in 2016 (86-75), they struggled in 2015 and 2017, finishing both seasons in fifth place in the AL Central division. They had 74 wins and 87 losses in 2015, and general manager Dave Dombrowski was replaced with Al Avila on August 4th. In 2017, they had a poorer season, with 64 wins to 98 losses.

Ausmus was replaced by Ron Gardenhire, former long term manager of the Twins, for the 2018 season. In his first year with the Tigers, he led the team to a third place finish in the AL Central division, with 64 wins and 98 losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Detroit Tigers
Baseball Reference - Detroit Tigers