80-647: Francis Joseph Navin (April 18, 1871 – November 13, 1935) was an American businessman and baseball executive who was the president of the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball for 27 years, from 1908 to 1935. He was part-owner from 1908 to 1919, and principal owner from 1919 to 1935. He also served as vice president and, in 1927, as acting president of the American League . Born in Adrian, Michigan , Navin
160-665: A 4–3 victory. After owner Frank Navin died in the offseason, Walter Briggs Sr. took over control of the team. Despite being forecast to win the American League pennant again in 1936 , the Tigers fell to a distant second place behind the New York Yankees both that season and in 1937 . The team fell further down the standings with an 84–70 record in 1938 and an 81–73 record in 1939 . Hank Greenberg nevertheless provided some excitement for Tigers fans in 1938 by challenging
240-567: A 5–0 lead before he threw a pitch en route to a 9–3 victory over the Cubs . Because many stars had not yet returned from the military, some baseball scholars have deemed the 1945 World Series to be among the worst-played contests in World Series history. For example, prior to the World Series, Chicago sportswriter Warren Brown was asked who he liked, and he answered, "I don't think either one of them can win." Following their World Series win in 1945,
320-539: A Cincinnati hotel room after watching his son win Game 1. An inspired Newsom won Game 5 and pitched Game 7 on just one day's rest. This was the third time the Tigers had lost a World Series in a deciding seventh game. With Hank Greenberg serving in World War II for all or parts of the 1941–1944 seasons, the Tigers struggled to recapture the glory of 1940. They finished no higher than fifth place in 1941–1943, but did manage
400-475: A close relationship with Landis, and Landis reportedly called Navin as many as 20 times a day for advice. After the other American League owners forced Johnson on an indefinite sabbatical in January 1927, Navin became acting president of the American League. Johnson returned in time for the start of the 1927 season, but was forced out entirely after the season, and Navin served as acting president until Ernest Barnard
480-405: A hit in 12 consecutive plate appearances over a three-game stretch from July 14 to 15, tying a major league record set by Johnny Kling in 1902. Team owner Walter Briggs Sr. died in 1952. His son Walter Briggs Jr. inherited the team, but he was forced to sell it in 1956 to broadcast media owners John Fetzer and Fred Knorr . Notwithstanding Detroit's fall in the standings, the decade saw
560-478: A lineup that already included second baseman Charlie Gehringer . In 1927 , Harry Heilmann flirted with a .400 batting average all year, eventually finishing at .398 and winning his fourth AL batting title. Following the 1933 season, the Tigers added perhaps the final piece of the puzzle, acquiring catcher Mickey Cochrane from the Philadelphia Athletics to serve as player-manager. The Tigers won
640-420: A longtime Johnson loyalist. However, Navin was in no mood for another war and persuaded the other five clubs to agree to appoint a new National Commission of non-baseball men. Judge Landis was tapped as chairman, but would only accept an appointment as sole commissioner, with nearly unlimited power over the game. The owners, desperate to fight the perception that baseball was crooked, readily agreed. Navin developed
720-504: A member club of the American League (AL) Central Division . One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit as a member of the minor league Western League in 1894 and is the only Western League team still in its original city. They are also the oldest continuous one name, one city franchise in the AL. Ty Cobb , who played his first season with Detroit in 1905, later became
800-636: A member of the AL East . Since 2000 , the Tigers have played their home games at Comerica Park in Downtown Detroit . The Tigers constructed Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Avenue in Corktown just west of Downtown Detroit and began playing there in 1896. In 1912, the team moved into Navin Field, which was built on the same location. It was expanded in 1938 and renamed Briggs Stadium. It
880-468: A new National Agreement. The Tigers were established as a charter member of the now major league American League in 1901. They played their first game as a major league team at home against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 25, 1901, with an estimated 10,000 fans at Bennett Park. After entering the ninth inning behind 13–4, the team staged a dramatic comeback to win 14–13. The team finished third in
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#1732852600457960-569: A one-game strike. In 1920 Navin played a key role in the dissolution of the National Baseball Commission and the creation of the office of Commissioner of Baseball and the appointment of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as the first commissioner. The American League owners had become divided into two factions. One faction, the Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees, sought to remove Ban Johnson as
1040-402: A planned trip to Hawaii, and in any event his asking price was well beyond what Navin was willing to pay. Instead, he ended up buying Mickey Cochrane from Connie Mack 's Philadelphia Athletics for $ 100,000. Navin immediately installed Cochrane as player-manager, and Cochrane proved to be the sparkplug that helped the Tigers win two consecutive pennants in 1934 and 1935. After the Tigers lost
1120-467: A second-place finish in 1944 , largely on the strength of pitchers Hal Newhouser and Dizzy Trout , who won 29 and 27 games, respectively. Newhouser, who was 29–9 with a 2.22 ERA, won the first of his two consecutive AL MVP awards this season. The Tigers were in first place as late as September 18, but would finish one game behind the St. Louis Browns for the AL pennant. With the end of World War II and
1200-526: A then-club record 100 games, but narrowly lost the AL pennant to the Boston Red Sox , who won 101 games. The 1915 Tigers were led by an outfield consisting of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Bobby Veach that finished #1, #2, and #3 in RBIs and total bases . Cobb also set a stolen base record with 96 steals in 1915 that stood until 1962, when it was broken by Maury Wills . Baseball historian Bill James has ranked
1280-585: A tight three-team race, the 90–64 Tigers won the 1940 AL pennant by one game over the Cleveland Indians and two games over the New York Yankees . Prior to the season, first baseman Hank Greenberg was persuaded to move to left field to make room for Rudy York , whom the Tigers had deemed no longer suitable to be their catcher. The move proved successful. York hit .316 with 33 home runs and 134 RBIs. Greenberg batted .340 and slammed 41 home runs while driving in 150. Greenberg won his second AL MVP award, becoming
1360-458: The 1934 World Series to the Gashouse Gang from St. Louis, the 64-year-old Navin was reportedly heartbroken, having seen his teams win four American League pennants, only to lose four World Series. In October 1935, the Tigers finally brought Detroit its first undisputed world championship. Six weeks later, on November 13, 1935, Navin suffered a heart attack and fell from a horse while riding at
1440-535: The American League for 1900, it was still a minor league, but the next year, it broke from the National Agreement and declared itself a major league, openly competing with the National League for players and for fans in four contested cities. For a while, there were rumors of the team relocating to Pittsburgh . However, these rumors were put to rest when the two leagues made peace in 1903 when they signed
1520-409: The Boston Red Sox to 104 wins (12 games ahead of the second-place Tigers). Also in 1946, the Tigers acquired George Kell , a third baseman who would become a 10-time all-star and Hall of Famer. He batted over .300 in eight straight seasons (1946–53), and finished with a career .306 average. Kell won the batting title in a very close race with Ted Williams in 1949 , going 2-for-3 on the last day of
1600-466: The Detroit Tigers . During his ten-year Major League career, Auker played with the Tigers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns . While with Detroit, Auker went to consecutive World Series , in 1934 and 1935 . In the 1934 Series against the St. Louis Cardinals , Auker was the winning pitcher in Game 4, but the loser to Dizzy Dean in the decisive Game 7. The next season, Auker led the American League in winning percentage with an 18–7 record. In
1680-459: The pitching triple crown , leading the AL in wins (25), ERA (1.81) and strikeouts (212). He became the first pitcher in the history of the AL, and still the only pitcher as of 2024, to win the MVP Award in two consecutive seasons. With Newhouser, Trucks and Dizzy Trout on the mound and Greenberg leading the offense, Detroit responded in a World Series Game 7 for the first time, staking Newhouser to
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#17328526004571760-455: The seating capacity to 30,000. In May 1912, Navin found himself embroiled in the first player strike in American League history. During a game in New York, Ty Cobb jumped into the stands and attacked a handicapped heckler who had been taunting Cobb with racial epithets. When American League President Ban Johnson suspended Cobb indefinitely , the Tigers voted to strike, refusing to play until
1840-637: The "Tigers," beat a local semi-pro team, known as the Athletics, by a score of 30–3. The Tigers played their first Western League game at Bennett Park on April 28, 1896, defeating the Columbus Senators 17–2. At the end of the 1897 season, Rube Waddell was loaned to the team to gain professional experience. After being fined, Waddell left Detroit to pitch in Canada. When the Western League renamed itself
1920-476: The 1915 Tigers outfield as the greatest in the history of baseball. The only team in Tigers' history with a better winning percentage than the 1915 squad was the 1934 team that lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals . The Tigers dropped to third place in 1916 with an 87–67 record, and would remain mired in the middle of the AL standings the rest of the decade, never winning more than 80 games. In
2000-456: The 1934 AL pennant with a 101–53 record, at the time a team record for wins, and still the best win percentage (.656) in team history. The Tigers infield (Hank Greenberg and Charlie Gehringer, along with shortstop Billy Rogell and third baseman Marv Owen ) accumulated 462 runs during the season, with Gehringer (214 hits, .356 average) leading the way. Schoolboy Rowe led a strong pitching staff, winning 16 straight decisions at one point of
2080-596: The 1935 Series against the Chicago Cubs , Auker started Game 3, which Detroit won in extra innings, and the Tigers went on to win the Series four games to two. During the 1935 World Series , Auker was interviewed by a young Cubs broadcaster, Ronald Reagan . When they met after Reagan had been elected governor of California, Reagan told him, "You probably won't remember me, but I'll remember you as long as I live." The radio interview, Reagan said, "was my first big break." Before
2160-490: The 1939 season, Auker was traded by Detroit to the Red Sox for Pinky Higgins and Archie McKain . That season was Ted Williams 's rookie year in Boston, and the two would develop what became a lifelong friendship during the season. However, Auker chafed playing under Red Sox manager Joe Cronin , and his 9–10 record in the year was the lowest win total of any full season he played. Auker finished his career playing three seasons with
2240-587: The 1961 season, and would later say of the accomplishment: "It was a freak. Even at the time, I realized that." Cash's plate heroics, which also included 41 home runs and 132 RBI, might have earned him MVP honors were it not for New York's Roger Maris bashing a then record 61 homers the same season. Cash also drew 124 walks for a league-leading .487 on-base percentage. Tigers outfielder Rocky Colavito actually bettered Cash's home run and RBI totals, with 45 and 140, respectively. Elden Auker Elden LeRoy "Submarine" Auker (September 21, 1910 – August 4, 2006)
2320-473: The 71–83 1960 team , but still finished eight games behind the Yankees . This marked one of the few times in major league history that a team failed to reach the postseason despite winning 100 or more games, though it had happened once before to the Tigers in 1915. First baseman Norm Cash won the batting title with a .361 average, while teammate Al Kaline finished second. Cash never hit over .286 before or after
2400-436: The American League in 1910 with an 86–68 record. They posted 89 wins in 1911 to finish second, but were still well behind a powerhouse Philadelphia Athletics team that won 101 games. The team sunk to a dismal sixth place in both the 1912 and 1913 seasons. A bright spot in 1912 was George Mullin pitching the franchise's first no-hitter in a 7–0 win over the St. Louis Browns on July 4, his 32nd birthday. Cobb went into
2480-456: The Browns (1940–1942). During the 1941 season, he gave up hits to Joe DiMaggio during two games of DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak . As a hitter, Auker was a better than average hitting pitcher, posting a .187 batting average (131-for-700) with 73 runs , 6 home runs , 72 RBI and 41 bases on balls . Defensively, he was better than average, recording a .967 fielding percentage which
Frank Navin - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-557: The Cubs' last World Championship until 2016 . In 1909, Detroit posted a 98–54 season, winning the AL pennant by 3.5 games over the Athletics . Ty Cobb won the batting triple crown in 1909, hitting .377 with 9 home runs (all inside-the-park) and 107 RBIs . He also led the league with 76 stolen bases . George Mullin was the pitching hero, going 29–8 with a 2.22 ERA , while fellow pitcher Ed Willett went 21–10. Mullin's 11–0 start in 1909
2640-483: The Detroit Ball Club at once, so it can be put in shape for spring practice. As those uniforms are paid for by the Detroit club, they are, of course, the property of the Detroit club and should have been returned at the close of last season. Navin's tightfisted nature came in part because unlike most of the other owners, he had no income apart from the Tigers. In 1919, after Yawkey's death, Navin bought 15 shares from
2720-643: The Detroit Riding and Hunt Club, killing him. Navin was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan where the family mausoleum was decorated by Corrado Parducci and is guarded by two tigers by American animalier Frederick Roth . Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit . The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as
2800-434: The Tigers become the second to last team to integrate their roster when Dominican player Ozzie Virgil Sr. joined the team. Only the Boston Red Sox trailed the Tigers in integrating their roster. As the American League expanded from 8 to 10 teams, Detroit began its slow ascent back to success with an outstanding 1961 campaign. The Tigers led the majors in runs scored and won 101 games, a whopping 30-game improvement over
2880-460: The Tigers competitive. By 1933, the Great Depression (and a losing team) had cut attendance at Navin Field to a third of what it had been a decade earlier. Navin contemplated selling the franchise and even entertained an offer from Ty Cobb. But Navin decided not to sell and tried to sign Babe Ruth as player-manager, hoping to revive interest in the team. However, Ruth was unwilling to postpone
2960-405: The Tigers continued to have winning records for the remainder of the decade, finishing second in the AL three times, but never winning the pennant. Hal Newhouser had another outstanding season in 1946 , again leading the league in wins (26) and ERA (1.94) while striking out a career-high 275 batters. He nearly won his third straight AL MVP award, finishing second to Ted Williams , who had led
3040-516: The Tigers sank to the middle and lower ranks of the American League. The team had only three winning records over this span and never finished higher than fourth place. The last place 1952 team went 50–104 (.325), which was the worst season in Tigers history until the 2003 team lost 119 games. Despite the dismal season, starter Virgil Trucks threw two no-hitters in 1952, becoming only the third pitcher in major league history to accomplish this feat. 1952 also saw Tiger first baseman Walt Dropo get
3120-408: The Tigers' longtime home, Bennett Park , and built a new concrete-and-steel facility on the same site with a seating capacity of 23,000. The new park, named "Navin Field", opened on April 20, 1912. Renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938, and then Tiger Stadium in 1961, the park built by Navin remained the Tigers' home until 2000. In 1924, as Detroit grew, Navin built a second deck on his stadium, increasing
3200-502: The Yawkey estate to become half-owner of the Tigers. However, without Yawkey's fortune to fall back on, Navin had to take on additional investors to keep afloat. With this in mind, he brokered the sale of 25 percent of the Yawkey interest to auto-body manufacturer Walter Briggs, Sr. , and another 25 percent to wheelmaker John Kelsey. In 1927, Briggs bought Kelsey's interest and became a full partner with Navin. However, Briggs largely stayed in
3280-427: The background. Navin's tough negotiations and salary battles with Tiger players are legendary. In the 1920s, Tigers slugger Bob "Fats" Fothergill always had a weight problem, and Navin constantly rode Fothergill about it. When Fothergill came to Navin's office in the winter to negotiate his contract, he wore a big, heavy overcoat to conceal the weight he had put on in the offseason. Navin figured out what Fothergill
Frank Navin - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-587: The batting title, finishing at .393 to Tris Speaker 's .389. Cobb announced his retirement in November 1926 after 22 seasons with the Tigers, though he would return to play two more seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics . Though the Tigers struggled with mediocre records in the seven years following Cobb's departure, they were building a solid foundation, adding slugging first baseman Hank Greenberg and pitchers Tommy Bridges and Schoolboy Rowe to
3440-433: The business end." Despite his love of the game, Navin developed a reputation as a penny-pincher, which was not surprising given he was trained as an accountant. A 1904 letter he wrote to Hall of Famer Sam Crawford adds to the reputation. After hitting .338 for the Tigers in 1903, Crawford took his used uniform home to Wahoo, Nebraska , prompting Navin to send the following letter: Kindly forward last season's uniform to
3520-451: The deal closed, and Navin persuaded his son, Bill Yawkey , to complete the deal. Yawkey mostly stayed in the background, largely leaving the Tigers in Navin's hands. In January 1908, Yawkey sold Navin almost half the club's stock, making him for all intents and purposes a full partner. Navin then became team president in name as well as in fact. Baseball was not a side business for Navin. It
3600-410: The debut of outfielder Al Kaline in 1953. One of the few major league players who never played a day in the minor leagues, he would hit over .300 nine times in his career. He also made 15 All-Star teams, won 10 Gold Gloves, and featured one of the league's best arms in right field. In 1955, the 20-year-old Kaline hit .340 to become the youngest-ever batting champion in major league history. 1958 saw
3680-577: The eight-team league. That initial season they were the first major league team to have a mascot—a red tiger on a dark background—on their ballcap. It was replaced by the letter "D" in 1903, and their iconic Olde English-style letterform appeared the following year. In 1905, the team acquired 18-year-old Ty Cobb , a fearless player who came to be regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. The addition of Cobb to an already talented team that included Sam Crawford , Hughie Jennings , Bill Donovan and George Mullin quickly yielded results. Behind
3760-410: The fewest at-bats (8,093). The Tigers continued to field good teams during Ty Cobb's tenure as player-manager, finishing as high as second in 1923 , but lack of quality pitching kept them from winning a pennant. Harry Heilmann hit .403 in 1923, becoming the last AL player to top .400 until Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. In 1925 , Heilmann collected six hits in a season-ending doubleheader to win
3840-523: The first Tiger to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Since their establishment as a major league franchise in 1901, the Tigers have won four World Series championships ( 1935 , 1945 , 1968 , and 1984 ), 11 AL pennants (1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968, 1984 , 2006 , 2012 ), and four AL Central division championships (2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014). They also won division titles in 1972, 1984, and 1987 as
3920-471: The first major leaguer to win the award at two different positions. Charlie Gehringer batted .313 while collecting 101 walks (for a .428 on-base percentage) and scoring 108 runs. Bobo Newsom was the ace of the Tiger pitching staff in 1940, going 21–5 with a 2.83 ERA. An unlikely hero on the mound this season was 30-year-old rookie Floyd Giebell . Making just his third major league start on September 27, Giebell
4000-419: The game and his reputation for penny-pinching are both reflected in his relationship with Ty Cobb . In 1905, a young Cobb tried out with the Tigers, and many laughed at the skinny kid's eager tryout. But Navin was impressed with Cobb's effort and signed him for $ 1500. Each year thereafter, Navin and Cobb engaged in prolonged contract negotiations, with Cobb holding out at times, and Navin ultimately paying what
4080-414: The helm, the Tigers topped out at 86 wins and never won a pennant. In 1921, the Tigers amassed 1,724 hits and a team batting average of .316, the highest team hit total and batting average in AL history. That year, outfielders Harry Heilmann and Ty Cobb finished #1 and #2 in the American League batting race with batting averages of .394 and .389, respectively. The downfall of the 1921 Tigers, however,
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#17328526004574160-433: The hitting of outfielders Ty Cobb (.350) and Sam Crawford (.323), and the pitching of Bill Donovan and Ed Killian (25 wins each), the Tigers went 92–58 to win the AL pennant in 1907 by 1.5 games over the Philadelphia Athletics . They moved on to their first World Series appearance against the Chicago Cubs . Game 1 ended in a rare 3–3 tie, called due to darkness after 12 innings. The Tigers scored only three runs in
4240-470: The large temporary bleacher section in left field. The Tigers 1935 lineup featured four future Hall of Famers (Hank Greenberg, Mickey Cochrane, Goose Goslin and Charlie Gehringer). Although they did not challenge the 1934 team's 101 wins, their 93–58 record was good enough to give them the AL pennant by three games over the New York Yankees. Greenberg was named AL MVP after hitting .328 and leading
4320-492: The last game played at Tiger Stadium on September 27, 1999. Auker spoke at the ceremony and told the crowd: "Never forget us, for we live on by those that carry on the Tiger tradition and who so proudly wear the olde English D." In 2001, Auker published his memoirs, entitled Sleeper Cars and Flannel Uniforms , written with Tom Keegan . He died due to congestive heart failure, at age 95, in his home in Vero Beach, Florida . He
4400-451: The late teens and into the 1920s, Cobb continued to be the marquee player, though he was pushed by budding star outfielder Harry Heilmann , who went on to hit .342 for his career. Hughie Jennings left the Tigers after the 1920 season, having accumulated 1,131 wins as a manager . This stood as a Tiger record until 1992, when it was broken by Sparky Anderson . Cobb himself took over managerial duties in 1921, but during his six years at
4480-491: The league in home runs (36), extra-base hits (98) and RBIs (168). Incredibly, Greenberg's RBI total was 48 higher than the next closest player ( Lou Gehrig , with 120). The Tigers also got strong contributions from Gehringer (.330), Cochrane (.319) and starting pitchers Tommy Bridges (21–10) and Elden Auker (18–7). The Tigers finally won their first World Series , defeating the Chicago Cubs , 4–2. Game 6 concluded with Goslin's dramatic walk-off RBI single, scoring Cochrane for
4560-552: The league's president. The other faction, the Tigers, Indians, Athletics, Browns, and Senators, known as the "Loyal Five", supported Johnson. When the Black Sox Scandal broke after the 1920 season, the White Sox, Red Sox and Yankees threatened to pull out of the American League and join a new 12-team National League. The enlarged league would include a new team in Detroit unrelated to the Tigers — an obvious attempt to push out Navin,
4640-432: The season and finishing with a 24–8 record. The Tigers would fall in the 1934 World Series in seven games to the " Gashouse Gang " St. Louis Cardinals . After winning a tight battle in Game 5 with a 3–1 decision over Dizzy Dean , Detroit took a 3–2 series lead, but would lose the next two games at Navin Field (Tiger Stadium). For the second time in a World Series Game 7, Detroit folded. St. Louis scored seven times in
4720-477: The season to edge out the Red Sox slugger, .34291 to .34276. The 1950 season was particularly frustrating, as the Tigers posted a 95–59 record for a .617 winning percentage, the fourth-best in team history at the time. However, they finished that season three games behind a strong New York Yankees team that went on to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series . Over the next 10 years,
4800-409: The single-season home run record held by Babe Ruth (60). He went into the season's final weekend against the Cleveland Indians with 58 home runs, tied with Jimmie Foxx for the most by a right-handed batter at the time, but he failed to homer. During the final week of the 1938 season, the Tigers presciently held out doubts about a pennant in 1939, but figured that 1940 would be their year. In
4880-409: The stands in a May 15, 1912, game to attack a fan that was abusing him, and was suspended. Three days later, the Tigers protested the suspension by fielding a team of replacement players against the Philadelphia Athletics . They lost 24–2. During this five-season stretch, Cobb posted batting averages of .383, .420, .409, .390 and .368, winning the batting title every year. In 1915, the Tigers won
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#17328526004574960-441: The succeeding four games, never scoring more than one run in a game, and lost the Series, 4–0. The Tigers won the AL by just a half-game over the 90–64 Cleveland Naps with a 90–63 record. Cobb hit .324, while Sam Crawford hit .311 with 7 home runs , which was enough to lead the league in the "dead ball" era . The Cubs , however, would defeat the Tigers again in the 1908 World Series , this time in five games. This would be
5040-539: The suspension was lifted. When Ban Johnson threatened Navin with a $ 5,000 per game fine if he failed to field a team, Navin told manager Hughie Jennings to find replacement players. As the Tigers were on the road in Philadelphia, Jennings recruited eight replacement "Tigers" from a neighborhood in North Philadelphia. The replacement Tigers lost 24–2 to the Philadelphia Athletics . The regular Tigers returned after
5120-538: The team, reportedly with money won in a card game. Navin had an eye for talent, and he built a team that won three straight pennants from 1907 to 1909. His signing of Ty Cobb and Hughie Jennings was instrumental in the development of the Tigers championship teams. But Angus soon tired of the Tigers' massive monetary losses, and told Navin to find a buyer. Navin quickly cut a deal with the richest man in Michigan, lumber baron William Clyman Yawkey. However, Yawkey died before
5200-432: The third inning off starter Elden Auker and a pair of relievers, while Dean baffled the Tiger hitters en route to an 11–0 victory. The final game was marred by an ugly incident. After spiking Tigers third baseman Marv Owen in the sixth inning, Cardinals left fielder Joe Medwick had to be removed from the game for his own safety by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis after being pelted with debris from angry fans in
5280-467: The timely return of Hank Greenberg and others from the military, the Tigers won the AL pennant by just 1.5 games over the Washington Senators with an 88–65 record. Virgil Trucks returned from the U.S. Navy in time to pitch 5 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings of 1-run ball in the pennant-clinching game, with starter Hal Newhouser pitching the final 3 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings in relief. Newhouser won
5360-561: Was 12 points higher than the league average at his position. Auker retired in 1943 so that he could contribute to the war effort . From 1943 to 1945, he worked on airplane and naval guns. From 1946 until 1975, Auker worked for Bay State Abrasives in Massachusetts, a company that made armaments and abrasive materials, retiring as the company president. He was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1969. Auker appeared at
5440-518: Was a Tigers record for 104 years, finally being broken by Max Scherzer 's 13–0 start in 2013 . It was hoped that a new opponent in the 1909 Series , the Pittsburgh Pirates , would yield different results. The Tigers performed better in the Fall Classic, taking Pittsburgh to seven games, but they were blown out 8–0 in the decisive game at Bennett Park. The Tigers dropped to third place in
5520-838: Was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers , Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns between 1933 and 1942. Auker batted and threw right-handed. Auker was noted for his submarine pitching style. Auker was born and raised in Norcatur, Kansas , the son of Fred and Florence Auker. He attended college at Kansas State University in Manhattan , where he was a brother of Phi Sigma Kappa . Called by former Kansas State University President James McCain, "the greatest all-around athlete in Kansas State history," Auker won nine varsity letters – three each in baseball, basketball and football – during his college career, from 1929 to 1932. He
5600-419: Was called up to the Tigers in 1933, Navin told him: "Elden, we're bringing you up here as a starting pitcher. We think you have an opportunity to be a major league pitcher. I don't have a lot of money. My philosophy for starting pitchers is when they give you the ball, I expect you to pitch nine innings. I can't afford to pay you to start a ballgame and pay three or four others to finish it." Navin's knowledge of
5680-584: Was called upon to pitch the pennant-clinching game against Bob Feller of the Indians. Feller surrendered just three hits, one being a 2-run homer by Rudy York, while Giebell blanked the Tribe for a 2–0 victory. The Tigers lost the 1940 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in seven games. Despite a heroic effort by Bobo Newsom, the Tigers came up short in the deciding game, losing 2–1. Newsom's father had died in
5760-471: Was elected as permanent successor. In 1931, Navin was nearly ruined by the Great Depression and by his losses betting on horse racing. Navin had a lifelong love of gambling on horse races, a quirk that was overlooked by his friend, Judge Landis. Navin also worked for a time as a croupier at a turn of the century gambling house in Detroit. He was thus forced to rely more and more on Briggs' money to keep
5840-514: Was first-team All-American in baseball and All- Big Six Conference in baseball, football , and basketball . In football, Auker starred at quarterback , was named second team All-American by Grantland Rice and was offered a $ 6,000 contract by the Chicago Bears . The Bears sent Bronko Nagurski to Manhattan to try to convince him to join the team. Auker turned down the Bears, however, to pitch for
5920-399: Was his principal business and passion. Navin once said: "No game is cleaner, healthier or more scientific. (Baseball brings) thousands of devotees out into the open air and the sunshine and distracts them from every contaminating influence." And legendary Detroit News sports editor H. G. Salsinger wrote that "Navin was one of the few owners who knew the playing end of the game as well as
6000-457: Was located on East Lafayette, then called Champlain Street, between Helen and East Grand Boulevard, near Belle Isle . In 1895, owner George Vanderbeck decided to build Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues, which would remain the team's base of operations for the next 104 seasons. The first game at The Corner was an exhibition on April 13, 1896. The team, now occasionally called
6080-492: Was needed to retain the best batter in baseball. In 1925, the Tigers were offered an opportunity to purchase a young Paul Waner from the San Francisco Seals , but Navin was not willing to pay the $ 40,000 asking price. Cobb, who was the team's manager, was angered at Navin's refusal to sign Waner, and later said that their relationship deteriorated so much that "I couldn't stand to look at Navin." In 1911, Navin tore down
6160-618: Was one of nine children of Irish immigrants. He attended the Detroit College of Law and worked as both a lawyer and accountant. In 1902, Navin was a bookkeeper at the insurance offices of Samuel F. Angus when Angus led a syndicate that purchased the Detroit Tigers . Angus brought the 31-year-old Navin with him as the team's bookkeeper. He also served as "secretary, treasurer, business manager, farm director, chief ticket seller, advertising manager, and any other position that demanded immediate attention." In 1903, Navin bought $ 5000 in stock in
6240-420: Was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961 and the Tigers played there until 1999 . From 1901 to 2024, the Tigers' overall win–loss record is 9,676–9,567–93 (.503). The franchise's best winning percentage was .656 in 1934 , while its worst was .265 in 2003 . The franchise was founded as a member of the reorganized Western League in 1894. They originally played at Boulevard Park, sometimes called League Park. It
6320-413: Was the absence of good pitching. The team ERA was 4.40. Without pitching to support the offense, the 1921 Tigers finished in sixth place in the American League at 71–82, 27 games behind the New York Yankees . On August 19, 1921, Cobb collected his 3,000th career hit off Elmer Myers of the Boston Red Sox . Aged 34 at the time, he is still the youngest player to reach that milestone, also reaching it in
6400-504: Was up to and turned the heat way up in his office. Navin then sat back and engaged Fothergill in a long, drawn-out conversation about his family, hunting, and anything but the contract. As sweat poured off Fothergill, Navin suggested that he take off the coat, but Fothergill insisted he was comfortable. When the conversation finally got around to the contract, Fothergill wanted to get out of Navin's hot office so badly that he accepted Navin's first offer. Years later, when pitcher Elden Auker
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