pmeares17
01-15-2002, 01:34 PM
Five most memorable Tigers games
1. Game 6 of the 1935 World Series (October 7, 1935)
A 4-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs gave the Tigers their first World Series championship in their fifth try. Catcher/manager Mickey Cochrane raced home with the Series-winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a base hit by Goose Goslin with two outs to set off bedlam in Detroit. Pitcher Tommy Bridges went the distance for the win, shut out the Cubs for the final four innings and kept the game tied by retiring three consecutive Cubs in the top of the ninth with Stan Hack on third after a leadoff triple. Cochrane led the team with three hits.
2. Final game of the 1987 season (October 4, 1987)
Frank Tanana, of nearby Catholic Central, outpitched Toronto's Jimmy Key in a 1-0 win that clinched the AL East title for Detroit. Larry Herndon's solo home run to left field in the second accounted for the only run as the Tigers swept the Blue Jays in the final weekend of the season to cap a remarkable comeback. Detroit had trailed Toronto by 3 1/2 games with one week to play but won its last seven games, including four against Toronto to steal the division.
3. Game 5 of the 1984 World Series
The Tigers wrapped up their fourth World Series title in exciting fashion against San Diego. Holding a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth, Detroit put two runners on and Kirk Gibson smacked a Goose Gossage offering for a three-run homer to right field. The stadium went ballistic as Gibson pumped his fist and blew kisses to the crowd while rounding the bases. You would have a hard time convincing Tigers fans that Gibson's homer in the first game of the 1988 World Series was more dramatic.
Willie Hernandez retired the Padres in the ninth, and the Tigers won 8-4. Alan Trammel was named Series MVP, and Sparky Anderson became the first manager to the World Series with National League and American League teams.
4. Game 2 of the 1934 World Series (October 4, 1934)
Decided underdogs against St. Louis, the Tigers recovered from an 8-3 stomping to win 3-2 in 12 innings and even the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Goose Goslin's single to center scored Charlie Gehringer to cap a Tigers rally from a 2-1 deficit in the ninth. Lyn "Schoolboy" Roe pitched all 12 innings and held a powerful Cardinals lineup in check, giving up seven hits and striking out seven. Roe pitched so well that no Cardinal reached base from the beginning of the third inning until Pepper Martin doubled in the 11th. The Tigers, however, went on to lose the Series, four games to three.
5. Game 4 of the 1972 ALCS (October 11, 1972)
The Tigers were on the brink of elimination when they trailed the Oakland Athletics 3-1 in the bottom of the 10th. But Detroit loaded the bases with nobody out when catcher Bill Freehan stepped up to face Oakland reliever Joe Horlen. Freehan bounced a double play ball to third, but Sal Bando's throw to second baseman Gene Tenace was dropped, allowing one run to score. Two batters, later Jim Northrup hit a shot to right to score the Tigers' third run of the inning, forcing a deciding Game 5.
Greatest individual accomplishments at Tiger Stadium
1. Colavito ties a major league record (June 24, 1962)
Tigers outfielder Rocky Colavito smashed seven hits in a 22-inning, 9-7 loss to the New York Yankees. The game lasted seven hours and is the longest in franchise history. It was the longest game in the history of the American League at that point.
2. Lolich goes on strikeout tear (June 9, 1969)
Tiger starter Mickey Lolich struck out 16 Seattle Pilots, the second time in a week he had struck out 16 batters. On the year, Lolich would strike out 271 batters and win 19 games.
3. Mullin tosses no-hitter on his birthday (July 4, 1912)
Tigers starter George Mullin no-hit the Cardinals 7-0 to celebrate his 32nd birthday. His feat marked the first no-hitter thrown by a Tigers pitcher at the stadium, then called Bennett Park.
4. Fielder clears the roof (August 25, 1990)
Tigers First baseman Cecil Fielder becomes the first player in 22 years to clear the left field roof of the stadium with a mammoth shot off of Oakland's Dave Stewart. Fielder would go on to hit a league-leading 51 homers for the season, only the second Tiger (following Hank Greenberg) to break the 50 home run barrier. (McGwire remains the last player to hit one over the left field roof with a home run off Brian Moehler on April 21, 1997.)
5. Meusel again hits for the cycle (July 26, 1928)
The Yankees' Bob Meusel hit for the cycle for the third time in his career -- a major league record -- at Navin Field. Eighteen players have hit for the cycle at Tiger Stadium, including Travis Fryman, who is the most recent Tigers player to do so -- on July 28, 1993.
6. Rowe wins 16th consecutive decision (August 25, 1934)
Rowe won his 16th consecutive decision, 4-2 over the Washington Senators, by driving in the winning run in the ninth. Rowe's record, set in his rookie year, recently was broken by Roger Clemens.
7. McLain wins 30th (September 14, 1968)
Tigers righthander Denny McLain won his 30th game, the first pitcher to do so since Dizzy Dean in 1934, when his teammates scored twice in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 triumph over Oakland. McLain finished the year 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA. He is the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season.
8. The Iron Horse rests (May 2, 1939)
Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig ended his streak of 2,130 games played when he sat out a game at Briggs Stadium. (On September 6, 1995, the Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr. later broke Gehrig's record.)
9. Whitaker and Trammel set record (September 13, 1995)
Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker and shortstop Alan Trammel played in their 1,915th game together, setting a record for games played as teammates. The two were teammates with the Tigers from 1977 to 1995. Whitaker retired after the season -- as did longtime manager Sparky Anderson, who won 1,331 games and a World Series title in 16-plus seasons in Detroit.
10. Sosa caps an amazing June (June 25, 1998)
The Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa hit his 19th home run of the month in an interleague battle at the Stadium. Sosa's homer off of Moehler broke a 51-year-old record held by the Tigers' Rudy York, who hit 18 home runs in August 1937. Sosa would hit one more home run in June to establish a record of 20 in one month.
All-Star Games
1941: American League 7, National League 5
Perhaps the most electrifying homer in All-Star history was launched by the most charismatic hitter of the day, a man who was in the midst of a season that would become legendary. Playing in his second All-Star Game, Ted Williams was on his way to a .406 season. At the All-Star break, he was hitting. 405.
The game was the most exciting All-Star Game to that time. There was good pitching, some lusty hitting and a momentous conclusion.
The AL was trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth and Claude Passeau pitching. Passeau retired the first batter, then Ken Keltner came in as a pinch hitter and bounced a single off shortstop Eddie Miller's glove. Joe Gordon singled and Cecil Travis drew a walk, loading the bases with Joe DiMaggio and Williams up.
DiMaggio hit a certain double-play ball sharply to Miller, who threw to second baseman Billy Herman. But Herman's throw to first was wide, enabling DiMaggio to reach on a force out and Keltner to score.
Up came Williams, who sent a belt-high fastball into the upper right-field stands -- and turned a 5-4 NL lead into a 7-5 AL win.
"I've never been so happy," said Williams. "Halfway down to first, seeing that ball going out, I stopped running and started leaping and jumping and clapping my hands. And I was so happy I laughed out loud."
1951: National League 8, American League 3
The NL showed it was getting the hang of this game, winning two in a row for the first time, and the big guns went off with record-making thunder. The NL hit four home runs and the AL two, setting an All-Star record.
After three innings of a 1-1 tie, the NL unloaded on Eddie Lopat. Stan Musial then homered to right. One out later, Gil Hodges singled and Bob Elliott homered to left for a 4-1 NL lead.
Although the AL cut the lead to 4-3, Hodges homered in the sixth to make it 6-3. The NL scored another run in the seventh on a squeeze bunt by Jackie Robinson. And, in the eighth, Ralph Kiner hit a two-run homer -- his third in three All-Star Games.
Having won two consecutive games and reducing the series deficit to 12-6, the NL's self-esteem was rising. Although the game didn't count in the standings, Jackie Robinson summed up the general feeling: "It's always better when you win."
1971: American League 6, National League 4
Stop the presses! The American League wins one!
The NL jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the AL came back in the bottom of the third and, for the first time since 1964, actually took the lead. Luis Aparicio led off with a single, and Earl Weaver sent up Reggie Jackson, who was in only his fourth full season. Jackson took a giant step toward becoming "Reggie" with this at-bat -- hitting a missile that struck a light tower on the Tiger Stadium roof some 520 feet from home plate. Jackson paused a moment to admire his work, then started around the bases.
Dock Ellis walked Rod Carew, then retired the next two batters. Up next was Frank Robinson, whose homer into the lower right-field seats put the AL up 4-3. (And Robinson, incidentally, also became the first to homer from both sides in the All-Star Game.)
The AL added two runs in the bottom of the sixth, and Roberto Clemente's homer in the eighth was the only action the NL could muster.
1. Game 6 of the 1935 World Series (October 7, 1935)
A 4-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs gave the Tigers their first World Series championship in their fifth try. Catcher/manager Mickey Cochrane raced home with the Series-winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a base hit by Goose Goslin with two outs to set off bedlam in Detroit. Pitcher Tommy Bridges went the distance for the win, shut out the Cubs for the final four innings and kept the game tied by retiring three consecutive Cubs in the top of the ninth with Stan Hack on third after a leadoff triple. Cochrane led the team with three hits.
2. Final game of the 1987 season (October 4, 1987)
Frank Tanana, of nearby Catholic Central, outpitched Toronto's Jimmy Key in a 1-0 win that clinched the AL East title for Detroit. Larry Herndon's solo home run to left field in the second accounted for the only run as the Tigers swept the Blue Jays in the final weekend of the season to cap a remarkable comeback. Detroit had trailed Toronto by 3 1/2 games with one week to play but won its last seven games, including four against Toronto to steal the division.
3. Game 5 of the 1984 World Series
The Tigers wrapped up their fourth World Series title in exciting fashion against San Diego. Holding a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth, Detroit put two runners on and Kirk Gibson smacked a Goose Gossage offering for a three-run homer to right field. The stadium went ballistic as Gibson pumped his fist and blew kisses to the crowd while rounding the bases. You would have a hard time convincing Tigers fans that Gibson's homer in the first game of the 1988 World Series was more dramatic.
Willie Hernandez retired the Padres in the ninth, and the Tigers won 8-4. Alan Trammel was named Series MVP, and Sparky Anderson became the first manager to the World Series with National League and American League teams.
4. Game 2 of the 1934 World Series (October 4, 1934)
Decided underdogs against St. Louis, the Tigers recovered from an 8-3 stomping to win 3-2 in 12 innings and even the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Goose Goslin's single to center scored Charlie Gehringer to cap a Tigers rally from a 2-1 deficit in the ninth. Lyn "Schoolboy" Roe pitched all 12 innings and held a powerful Cardinals lineup in check, giving up seven hits and striking out seven. Roe pitched so well that no Cardinal reached base from the beginning of the third inning until Pepper Martin doubled in the 11th. The Tigers, however, went on to lose the Series, four games to three.
5. Game 4 of the 1972 ALCS (October 11, 1972)
The Tigers were on the brink of elimination when they trailed the Oakland Athletics 3-1 in the bottom of the 10th. But Detroit loaded the bases with nobody out when catcher Bill Freehan stepped up to face Oakland reliever Joe Horlen. Freehan bounced a double play ball to third, but Sal Bando's throw to second baseman Gene Tenace was dropped, allowing one run to score. Two batters, later Jim Northrup hit a shot to right to score the Tigers' third run of the inning, forcing a deciding Game 5.
Greatest individual accomplishments at Tiger Stadium
1. Colavito ties a major league record (June 24, 1962)
Tigers outfielder Rocky Colavito smashed seven hits in a 22-inning, 9-7 loss to the New York Yankees. The game lasted seven hours and is the longest in franchise history. It was the longest game in the history of the American League at that point.
2. Lolich goes on strikeout tear (June 9, 1969)
Tiger starter Mickey Lolich struck out 16 Seattle Pilots, the second time in a week he had struck out 16 batters. On the year, Lolich would strike out 271 batters and win 19 games.
3. Mullin tosses no-hitter on his birthday (July 4, 1912)
Tigers starter George Mullin no-hit the Cardinals 7-0 to celebrate his 32nd birthday. His feat marked the first no-hitter thrown by a Tigers pitcher at the stadium, then called Bennett Park.
4. Fielder clears the roof (August 25, 1990)
Tigers First baseman Cecil Fielder becomes the first player in 22 years to clear the left field roof of the stadium with a mammoth shot off of Oakland's Dave Stewart. Fielder would go on to hit a league-leading 51 homers for the season, only the second Tiger (following Hank Greenberg) to break the 50 home run barrier. (McGwire remains the last player to hit one over the left field roof with a home run off Brian Moehler on April 21, 1997.)
5. Meusel again hits for the cycle (July 26, 1928)
The Yankees' Bob Meusel hit for the cycle for the third time in his career -- a major league record -- at Navin Field. Eighteen players have hit for the cycle at Tiger Stadium, including Travis Fryman, who is the most recent Tigers player to do so -- on July 28, 1993.
6. Rowe wins 16th consecutive decision (August 25, 1934)
Rowe won his 16th consecutive decision, 4-2 over the Washington Senators, by driving in the winning run in the ninth. Rowe's record, set in his rookie year, recently was broken by Roger Clemens.
7. McLain wins 30th (September 14, 1968)
Tigers righthander Denny McLain won his 30th game, the first pitcher to do so since Dizzy Dean in 1934, when his teammates scored twice in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 triumph over Oakland. McLain finished the year 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA. He is the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season.
8. The Iron Horse rests (May 2, 1939)
Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig ended his streak of 2,130 games played when he sat out a game at Briggs Stadium. (On September 6, 1995, the Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr. later broke Gehrig's record.)
9. Whitaker and Trammel set record (September 13, 1995)
Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker and shortstop Alan Trammel played in their 1,915th game together, setting a record for games played as teammates. The two were teammates with the Tigers from 1977 to 1995. Whitaker retired after the season -- as did longtime manager Sparky Anderson, who won 1,331 games and a World Series title in 16-plus seasons in Detroit.
10. Sosa caps an amazing June (June 25, 1998)
The Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa hit his 19th home run of the month in an interleague battle at the Stadium. Sosa's homer off of Moehler broke a 51-year-old record held by the Tigers' Rudy York, who hit 18 home runs in August 1937. Sosa would hit one more home run in June to establish a record of 20 in one month.
All-Star Games
1941: American League 7, National League 5
Perhaps the most electrifying homer in All-Star history was launched by the most charismatic hitter of the day, a man who was in the midst of a season that would become legendary. Playing in his second All-Star Game, Ted Williams was on his way to a .406 season. At the All-Star break, he was hitting. 405.
The game was the most exciting All-Star Game to that time. There was good pitching, some lusty hitting and a momentous conclusion.
The AL was trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth and Claude Passeau pitching. Passeau retired the first batter, then Ken Keltner came in as a pinch hitter and bounced a single off shortstop Eddie Miller's glove. Joe Gordon singled and Cecil Travis drew a walk, loading the bases with Joe DiMaggio and Williams up.
DiMaggio hit a certain double-play ball sharply to Miller, who threw to second baseman Billy Herman. But Herman's throw to first was wide, enabling DiMaggio to reach on a force out and Keltner to score.
Up came Williams, who sent a belt-high fastball into the upper right-field stands -- and turned a 5-4 NL lead into a 7-5 AL win.
"I've never been so happy," said Williams. "Halfway down to first, seeing that ball going out, I stopped running and started leaping and jumping and clapping my hands. And I was so happy I laughed out loud."
1951: National League 8, American League 3
The NL showed it was getting the hang of this game, winning two in a row for the first time, and the big guns went off with record-making thunder. The NL hit four home runs and the AL two, setting an All-Star record.
After three innings of a 1-1 tie, the NL unloaded on Eddie Lopat. Stan Musial then homered to right. One out later, Gil Hodges singled and Bob Elliott homered to left for a 4-1 NL lead.
Although the AL cut the lead to 4-3, Hodges homered in the sixth to make it 6-3. The NL scored another run in the seventh on a squeeze bunt by Jackie Robinson. And, in the eighth, Ralph Kiner hit a two-run homer -- his third in three All-Star Games.
Having won two consecutive games and reducing the series deficit to 12-6, the NL's self-esteem was rising. Although the game didn't count in the standings, Jackie Robinson summed up the general feeling: "It's always better when you win."
1971: American League 6, National League 4
Stop the presses! The American League wins one!
The NL jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the AL came back in the bottom of the third and, for the first time since 1964, actually took the lead. Luis Aparicio led off with a single, and Earl Weaver sent up Reggie Jackson, who was in only his fourth full season. Jackson took a giant step toward becoming "Reggie" with this at-bat -- hitting a missile that struck a light tower on the Tiger Stadium roof some 520 feet from home plate. Jackson paused a moment to admire his work, then started around the bases.
Dock Ellis walked Rod Carew, then retired the next two batters. Up next was Frank Robinson, whose homer into the lower right-field seats put the AL up 4-3. (And Robinson, incidentally, also became the first to homer from both sides in the All-Star Game.)
The AL added two runs in the bottom of the sixth, and Roberto Clemente's homer in the eighth was the only action the NL could muster.