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58-651: The Giants were preceded by the 1938 McAllen Packers , who played as members of the Class D level Texas Valley League , reforming after a nine–season hiatus. In 1949, McAllen returned to play in the Rio Grande Valley League , which reformed. The 1931 McAllen Palms won the Rio Grande Valley League championship in the leagues' previous season of play. The McAllen "Giants" joined the six-team Class D level Rio Grande Valley League, with

116-590: A Class C level league to begin the season, as the league expanded to eight teams. However, the Robstown Rebels and Donna-Weslaco Twins teams folded during the season, leaving six remaining teams. The league would not return to play in 1951. The 1950 McAllen Giants finished a distant last in the Rio Grande Valley league final standings. With an average player age of 22.7, the Giants were by far

174-684: 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

232-577: 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,

290-549: 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

348-405: 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

406-488: 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

464-576: 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

522-658: 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

580-476: 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

638-470: 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

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696-537: 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

754-593: 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

812-550: 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

870-409: 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

928-485: The Brownsville Charros , Corpus Christi Aces , Del Rio Cowboys , Donna Cardinals and Laredo Apaches beginning league play with McAllen on April 27, 1949. The McAllen Giants were owned by Earl Long. In their first season of play, the 1949 McAllen Giants qualified for the four-team Rio Grande Valley League playoffs. The Giants placed fourth in the regular season standings, with a record of 70–68, playing

986-473: The Brownsville Charros , Corpus Christi Spudders , Harlingen Hubs , Refugio Oilers and Taft Cardinals joining McAllen as league members, beginning play on April 14, 1938. The "Packers" nickname ties to the local agriculture industry in McAllen and the surrounding region. In the era, numerous packing facilities were in operation to pack produce for distribution to other regions. The Packers finished

1044-464: 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

1102-661: 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

1160-482: 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

1218-529: The 1931 McAllen Palms , who played one season as members of the Class D level Rio Grande Valley League , winning the league championship in a shortened season, as the league folded following the season. The McAllen "Packers" began minor league play as members of the 1938 Texas Valley League . After a nine–season hiatus, the Texas Valley League reformed as a six–team Class D level league, with

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1276-456: 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

1334-600: The 1977 McAllen Dusters, who played the season as members of the short lived Class A level Lone Star League . The McAllen Giants hosted minor league home games at Paris Field. The ballpark had a capacity of 3,000. McAllen Packers The McAllen Packers were a minor league baseball franchise based in McAllen, Texas . In 1938, the Packers played as members of the Class D level Texas Valley League , hosting home games at Legion Park. The Packers were preceded by

1392-478: 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

1450-436: 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

1508-566: 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

1566-434: 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

1624-405: 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

1682-516: 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

1740-602: 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

1798-410: 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

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1856-577: 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

1914-410: 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

1972-533: 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

2030-475: 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

2088-449: The four–team playoffs. Corpus Christi had won the first-half of the split–season schedule and tied with Harlingen for the second–half championship. The McAllen Packers (65–72) and Brownsville Charros (30–103) finished in fifth and sixth place, missing the playoffs. In the league finals, Harlingen defeated Corpus Christi to win the title. Both Harlingen ( Detroit Tigers ) and Corpus Christi ( St. Louis Browns ) were major league affiliate teams,

2146-414: 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,

2204-493: 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

2262-478: 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

2320-451: 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

2378-491: 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

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2436-628: The only two affiliated teams in the league. Following the 1938 season, the Texas Valley League permanently folded. McAllen next hosted minor league baseball, with the 1949 McAllen Giants , who resumed play in the Class D level Rio Grande Valley League. The McAllen Packers hosted minor league home games at Legion Park. Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit . The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as

2494-446: The regular season in fifth place in the overall final standings. During the season, the Texas Valley League adopted a split–season schedule. McAllen was in fifth place with a 28–40 record on June 24, 1938, in the final first–half standings, following first place Corpus Christi, second place Harlingen, third place Taft and fourth place Refugio. McAllen placed fifth and ended the 1938 regular season with an overall record of 65–72, playing

2552-432: 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

2610-541: 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,

2668-423: The season under managers Fran Matthews and Phil Kuykendall. McAllen finished 18.0 games behind the 1st place Corpus Christi Aces in the final standings. In the playoffs, McAllen was swept in four games by Corpus Christi in the first round. McAllen pitcher Edward Arthur led the league with 198 strikeouts and teammate Harold Jackson had a 20-8 record, the best in the league. In 1950, the Rio Grande Valley league became

2726-594: The season under managers Ray Friday and Wally Kopp. The Packers finished 27.5 games behind the first place Corpus Christi Spudders in the final regular season standings. McAllen did not qualify 1938 four–team Texas Valley League playoffs. The final Texas Valley League regular season standings were led by the Corpus Christi Spudders (92–44), who finished 8.5 games ahead of the second place Harlingen Hubs (84–53), with Taft (68–67) and Refugio (67–67) finishing in third place and fourth place to qualify for

2784-409: 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

2842-409: 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

2900-494: 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

2958-485: 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

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3016-476: 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

3074-433: The youngest team in the league. The Giants had a final record of 42–102, finishing 42.0 games behind the first place Harlingen Capitols and 33.5 games behind the fifth place Del Rio Cowboys. Managed by Boyd SoRelle and the returning Phil Kuykendall, McAllen did not qualify for the 1950 playoffs. The Rio Grande Valley league did not return to play in 1951 and permanently folded. McAllen next hosted minor league baseball, with

3132-532: 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

3190-600: 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

3248-461: 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

3306-420: 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

3364-413: 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

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