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April 24, 1901 -- The Tigers prepared to take to the field at Bennett Park for their first official American League game, but unpredictable weather postponed the opening by a day. |
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| 1901 |
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On April 24, 1901, the Tigers prepared to take to the field for their first official American League game. A standing room only crowd was anticipated at Bennett Park, but unpredictable weather postponed the opening by a day.
On that historic afternoon, April 25, 1901, in front of 10,000 fans, the Tigers entered the ninth inning trailing Milwaukee, 13-4. A series of hits and miscues followed, moving the score to 13-12 with two runners on. With two out, Tiger Frank "Pop" Dillon faced reliever Bert Husting, and the lefthanded hitter rapped a two-run double to complete a 14-13 comeback win. |
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| 1905 |
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The 1905 season was a remarkable one for the organization in that it marked the first in a Detroit uniform for Tyrus Raymond Cobb, the most famous Tiger of all. Acquired in exchange for pitcher Eddie Cicotte and $700 from Augusta of the Sally League (plus an additional $50 for "immediate delivery"), Cobb played the first of his 3,033 major league games on August 30, 1905. He would remain with the Tigers for 22 years, and when he retired in 1928, he had collected more records than any player in major league history. |
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| 1907 |
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The 1907 season saw the emergence of two 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 one and one-half games with a mark of 92-58. A disappointing loss to the Cubs in the World Series followed. |
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| 1911 |
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In 1911, Cobb finished with a personal-best batting average of .420, finishing just short of the all-time American League single-season record of .422 set by Nap Lajoie in 1901. |
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| 1912 |
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In 1912, the club moved into its new ballpark, named after Frank Navin, but the campaign was marked by a one-game players' strike in retaliation for a suspension levied on Cobb for taking a punch at a fan in New York. The May 18 strike forced the Tigers to put together a team of sandlot players for one game, a 24-2 loss at Philadelphia. |
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| 1915 |
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In 1915, Jennings and his club posted a regular-season record of 100-54, yet the skipper remembered the campaign as "the biggest disappointment" of his career after Babe Ruth's Red Sox claimed the pennant with 101 wins. |
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| 1924 |
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By 1920, the Tigers had plunged to seventh place, Jennings was released and the managerial position fell into the hands of Cobb. The highlight of Cobb's tenure was 1924, the same season that Hall-of-Famer Charlie Gehringer first wore the Tiger uniform, when the club remained in the race until the season's final week with a record of 86-68. |
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History
