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94-735: The Minneapolis Millers of Minor League Baseball were the original tenant from 1956 to 1960, but Metropolitan Stadium was best known as the home of the American League 's Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL); both played at the "Met" for 21 seasons, from 1961 through 1981. The Minnesota Kicks of the North American Soccer League (NASL) also played there from 1976 to 1981. Southwest of

188-626: A 10–6 decision to the Kansas City Chiefs . By this time, the Vikings had been eliminated from playoff contention, meaning that this would almost certainly be the final major event of any sort at the Met. Knowing that fans would be more determined to claim souvenirs, the Vikings tripled their security force for the contest. In the game's final minutes, many of the 41,110 fans in attendance began dismantling seats and bleachers, and thousands stormed

282-621: A 160-acre (0.65 km) plot of farmland in Bloomington. The stadium would replace Nicollet Park as the home of the American Association 's Minneapolis Millers . The site was approximately equidistant from the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul , and it was believed this would be the best location for a prospective major league team. Earlier, the 1950 Census indicated that the Twin Cities and their suburbs had over

376-684: 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

470-577: 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,

564-549: 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

658-471: A blast to the upper deck in deep left-center field on June 3, 1967 . This was the longest homer of Killebrew's career, and the longest ever hit in Metropolitan Stadium. The Met's outfield seating featured green bleacher-style benches and seats, yet the seat the ball hit was painted red and could be seen from all other seats in the stadium. For a time, there was talk of building a new park for

752-518: A disjointed, skeletal feel; it was obvious that it had once been a minor league baseball stadium. For instance, when bleachers were erected to expand the stadium for the Twins, no concourse was built to connect them to the rest of the stadium. Due to this design flaw, fans in the bleachers literally had to leave the stadium to get to the grandstand. Unlike most multipurpose stadiums built during this time, there were very few bad seats for baseball. The stadium

846-405: 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

940-488: 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

1034-512: 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

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1128-658: 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

1222-446: A million people between them, the unofficial threshold for a major metropolitan area. After a plan by architects Thorshov & Cerny won approval, groundbreaking was scheduled to begin on June 20, 1955. The construction was almost delayed, however, when the owners of the property began a protest, claiming they had not yet been paid. One of these owners created a barricade of farm equipment along his property line that ran directly through

1316-476: 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

1410-470: 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

1504-537: 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

1598-605: A three-week delay in construction, Metropolitan Stadium opened in time to hold its first game, a minor league contest between the Millers and the Wichita Braves on April 24 of that year. (At the time of its opening, the stadium still lacked an official name; the park was not named until a July announcement declaring it "Metropolitan Stadium".) In the 1950s, major league owners Calvin Griffith and Horace Stoneham called

1692-593: 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

1786-539: A variety of professional minor league teams. The original Millers date back to 1884 when the Northwestern League was formed. This league failed and the Western League replaced it, absorbing some of the old teams. According to Stew Thornley, this team folded in 1891 due to financial problems. In 1894, another team calling itself the Millers was formed when Ban Johnson and Charles Comiskey revived

1880-559: Is very likely that a new stadium would have been needed in any event, as the Met was not well maintained. By the park's final season, broken railings in the grandstand's third deck had become a major safety hazard. Additionally, players had begun to complain about the Met's playing conditions; the infield in particular was considered the worst in the majors. Rumors abounded that the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission , which by then had taken over

1974-550: 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

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2068-693: The Bay Area . The Millers ceased operations after the 1960 season with the arrival of the Minnesota Twins in 1961 . The Red Sox affiliated with the Pacific Coast League 's Seattle Rainiers for 1961. The Millers ended with an overall record of 4,800–4,365. Through the years, Millers pitchers threw seven no-hitters , and a Miller batter was the league-leader in home runs twenty-one times and RBIs nine times. Numerous famous baseball players, managers and coaches have appeared for

2162-409: 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

2256-656: The Fort Lauderdale Strikers , on September 6, 1981. The game was moved to Memorial Stadium due to a scheduling conflict with the Twins. The Twins played their last game at the Met on September 30, 1981, losing to the Kansas City Royals 5–2 on a rainy afternoon. The night before the final game, home plate was stolen, and after the final game ended, hundreds of fans gathered on the field, searching (mostly unsuccessfully) for mementoes. The Vikings played their last game on December 20, 1981, dropping

2350-484: The Minnesota Twins . The Twins played their first home game on April 21, 1961 , with a loss to the new Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers ). [1] The Millers and Saints were then promptly folded by Major League Baseball. To ready the stadium for the Twins, a $ 9 million renovation increased the seating capacity from about 22,000 to over 30,000 by the completion of the Twins' inaugural season . During

2444-452: The Minnesota Vikings . As it turned out, the year's delay worked to the Vikings' benefit. By the time the Vikings played their first game , the Twins had moved in and the Met had been expanded to befit its new status as a big-league stadium. (The Chicago Cardinals , after playing two games in Bloomington in 1959 , announced in March 1960 that they were moving to St. Louis .) The park had

2538-537: The Pacific Coast League 's San Francisco Seals , the top farm team of the Boston Red Sox . As part of the deal, the Millers' parent team then became the Red Sox, who had no plans to move anywhere in the foreseeable future. Multiple exhibition games featuring Major League teams were held at the Met at this time; a game between the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds was held at the Met in 1957, another between

2632-529: The Western League in hopes of making it a second major league. The Millers continued to play in the Western League through 1900, when the name was changed to the American League to give it more of a national image. Following the 1900 season, several cities were abandoned for bigger markets in cities recently vacated by the National League, including Minneapolis. Some teams were transferred, as

2726-629: The airport , the stadium site is now the Mall of America , which opened in 1992. Beginning in 1953, inspired by the Boston Braves ' move to Milwaukee , Gerald Moore, the president of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, led the drive to lure a major league team to Minnesota by constructing a modern stadium built to major league specifications. After the rejection of numerous sites, a stadium committee appointed by Moore approved

2820-464: 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

2914-597: 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

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3008-482: 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

3102-456: 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

3196-449: The 1981 soccer season. For the next three years, Met Stadium sat unused, decaying, and highly vandalized. Demolition for Metropolitan Stadium kicked off in 1985 on January 28, and continued for the next four months. After the rubble was cleared, the lot sat vacant for several years, although the nearby Met Center continued to provide entertainment for NHL hockey fans for another decade. The Mall of America , which opened in 1992, stands on

3290-478: 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

3384-436: 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

3478-507: The Bruiser . Although the Met was responsible for bringing MLB and the NFL to the Twin Cities, it had not aged well. By the early 1970s, the Vikings were making noises about moving out. For instance, there was no prospect of building permanent seats along third base. The Vikings weren't willing to pay to build seats in an area that would have been in the end zone in the football configuration, and

3572-566: 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

3666-548: The Met by fifteen minutes to accommodate the large crowd waiting to buy tickets. To help speed things along, the Kicks' owners let two thousand fans enter the stadium for free. An NASL attendance record was set one month later, when Pelé and the New York Cosmos drew 46,164 fans to Metropolitan Stadium. Large crowds continued for the Kicks, who drew 41,505 for that year's opening playoff game. Four days later, another record

3760-485: The Met only seated 49,700 people for football (48,400 at the time of closure) and any expansion would have resulted in seats that would have been of no use for the Twins during baseball's regular season. However, the Vikings would not even consider playing at the University of Minnesota 's Memorial Stadium even on a temporary basis. Discussions for a new stadium actually began in 1970, with six years remaining in both

3854-406: The Met with the unique configuration of a double deck in left field, and bleachers behind third base. The left-field grandstand was originally planned to be capable of sliding toward or away from the gridiron (as Denver's Mile High Stadium later would be), but that part of the project was never realized. The Met provided an overwhelming home-field advantage for the Vikings late in the season and in

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3948-668: The Met, the only time a baseball crowd exceeded 50,000 and remained its attendance record for baseball.) The Vikings hosted and won the 1969 NFL Championship Game at the stadium, the last NFL game prior to the 1970 merger . Metropolitan Stadium was the home of the Minnesota Kicks soccer team from 1976 until the team folded in November 1981. The Kicks, members of the North American Soccer League (NASL), were highly anticipated in Minnesota and had to delay their first game at

4042-629: The Millers, the Giants owned the major league rights to Minneapolis. Negotiations were also held with Griffith's Washington Senators, as well as the Cincinnati Reds , Cleveland Indians , and Philadelphia Athletics . However, the Giants chose to follow the Brooklyn Dodgers to the west coast at the urging of Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley , who owned the Millers' crosstown rivals, the St. Paul Saints . San Francisco had long been home to

4136-663: The Minneapolis Millers as players at some point in their careers, these players include: Hall of Fame alumni Notable alumni Interview with Stew Thornley , author of On to Nicollet , the history of the Minneapolis Millers, NORTHERN LIGHTS Minnesota Author Interview TV Series #39 (1988) Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit . The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as

4230-656: The San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox in May, 1958, and a matchup between the Senators and the Philadelphia Phillies was held shortly after the 1958 All-Star break. The latter game brought 15,990 fans to the stadium, including Calvin Griffith, who described the stadium as "terrific." In October 1960, Calvin Griffith announced that his Washington Senators would move to Metropolitan Stadium as

4324-434: 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

4418-405: 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

4512-516: 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

4606-560: The Twins couldn't afford it. At one point, there were plans to place a dome over Metropolitan Stadium, or build a new football stadium located between the Met and the Met Center , which had opened in 1967 just north of the Met. It soon became apparent that, at the very least, the Vikings would need a new stadium. As part of the AFL–NFL merger , the NFL declared that stadiums with less than 50,000 seats were inadequate for its needs; at its height

4700-459: The Twins on the old Met site that would be connected to the Mall of America. However, the terms of the agreement in which the land was sold to Triple Five Group , owners of the Mall of America, do not allow another stadium to be built on the site. Even without this to consider, the site is now directly in a flight path for Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport . The old flagpole at the stadium

4794-488: The Twins' and Vikings' leases. While the initial talks focused on a stadium for the Vikings, the Twins quickly joined the discussions. The idea of a dome was particularly appealing to Griffith given the bitterly cold weather that is common in the Twin Cities early and late in baseball season. This accelerated the push for construction of a new stadium, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome , which was completed in 1982 . However, it

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4888-670: The Twins' first ten seasons at the Met, they outdrew the average American League team each year. The National Football League (NFL) was also interested in placing a team at the Met. Conversations were had with Violet Bidwill Wolfner , owner of the Chicago Cardinals , about moving her team to the stadium. The Cardinals moved two of their 1959 regular season home games against the Philadelphia Eagles (October 25) (att: 20,112) and New York Giants (November 22) (att: 26,625) to Bloomington. A preseason football game

4982-546: 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

5076-790: The champions of the American Association and the International League . In the 1932 championship, the team was defeated by the Newark Bears 4 games to 2. The Millers, under manager Bill Rigney , clinched the 1955 series against the Rochester Red Wings , 4 games to 3, in the final ball game played at Nicollet Park . In 1958, the Millers, with Gene Mauch as skipper, beat the Montreal Royals 4 games to 0. Their last appearance in this Series

5170-410: 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

5264-577: 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

5358-410: 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

5452-532: The field once the game ended. The goal posts were torn down, pieces of the field were dug up, and speakers and lightbulbs on the scoreboard were removed. Hundreds of injuries were reported, mostly minor scrapes and bruises but also multiple head injuries sustained during the melee. Met Stadium was officially abandoned when the Vikings and the Twins moved to the Metrodome in January 1982, and the Kicks folded after

5546-533: 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

5640-475: 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

5734-495: The following year. That site, at 31st and Nicollet Avenue, is now the home of a Wells Fargo bank. In 1956 they moved into Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington , until 1960. They had a heated crosstown rivalry with the St. Paul Saints . The two clubs often played "streetcar double-headers " on holidays, playing one game in each city. Over the years the Millers were participants in four Junior World Series ; matchups between

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5828-434: The future infield. The dispute was settled in time for the groundbreaking to move forward as planned. Many spectators and dignitaries attended the groundbreaking, including Minneapolis mayor Eric G. Hoyer and several members of the Minneapolis Millers. On February 7, 1956, an accident occurred on the construction site when a portable heater used to cure concrete exploded in the stadium's basement. After $ 50,000 of repairs and

5922-414: 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,

6016-493: 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

6110-478: 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

6204-451: 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

6298-491: 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

6392-430: The nickname Millers, but the most prominent of these was the team in the American Association from 1902 to 1960. The Millers won four Association pennants during the 1910–23 tenure of "Pongo Joe" Cantillon , then were managed from 1924 to 1931 by another legend, Michael Joseph Kelley , one of the great figures of American Association history. Kelley operated the team as club president until 1946. Broadcaster Halsey Hall

6486-412: The playing field and end zones . Wooden bleachers were brought onto the field during football season to bring fans closer to the game. For 1965 , a large double-decked grandstand was installed in left field to replace the temporary wooden bleachers. The Vikings actually paid for this new grandstand in return for reduced rent; this location was prime sideline seating in the football configuration. This left

6580-467: The playoffs due to Minnesota's famously cold temperatures. The Vikings hosted ten playoff games at the Met and won seven of them. In the 1965 baseball season, both the All-Star Game and the World Series were played at Metropolitan Stadium, one of the few times that coincidence has happened since the former event was inaugurated in 1933. (Game 7 of that year's World Series drew 50,596 fans to

6674-432: 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

6768-414: 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,

6862-409: 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

6956-501: The site of what is now nostalgically called "the Old Met." A brass plaque in the shape of home plate, embedded in the floor in the northwest corner of Nickelodeon Universe , commemorates the site's days as a sports venue by marking where home plate once sat. Near the opposite corner, mounted high on the wall, is a red stadium seat denoting the precise landing spot (including elevation) of Harmon Killebrew 's 520-foot (158 m) home run,

7050-552: The stadium from the city of Minneapolis, had deliberately let the Met go to seed in order to aid the push for the Metrodome. The Minnesota Kicks' last regular season game at Met Stadium was a 2–1 victory over the Dallas Tornado on August 19, 1981. A week later, the team's last game at the Met was a 1-0 shoot-out playoff victory over the Tulsa Roughnecks . The team's last game played was a home playoff loss, 3–0 to

7144-413: The stadium the finest facility in the minors; Stoneham added that "there were not two better" major league stadiums of the time (although not specifying which specific two he thought were the Met's equal) The Millers were then the top farm team of Stoneham's New York Giants , and there was some hope or expectation that the Giants might relocate there. Under major league rules of the time, by virtue of owning

7238-409: 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

7332-494: 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

7426-485: 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

7520-476: 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

7614-532: 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

7708-423: Was built using cantilever construction for the overhanging decks, eliminating posts that blocked the fans' view. It was well known as a hitter's park; its short foul lines—343 feet (105 m) to left (east), 330 feet (101 m) to right (south)—were particularly friendly to pull hitters such as Harmon Killebrew . The 330 marker in right was actually closer to right-center, leading to speculation that right field

7802-536: 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

7896-525: Was even closer. Since the Met was built in 1956, however, this would not have been a problem for the Twins; baseball required all parks built after 1958 to have foul lines of at least 325 feet (99 m). Met Stadium distance signs included meters 1974–77. The diamond was aligned southeast (home plate to center field); recommended alignment is east-northeast. The Met was often considered less than ideal for football. The gridiron ran from around third base to right field (north-south), with barely enough room to fit

7990-460: Was held each September at the Met for its first five years, 1956 through 1960: The Met finally got a football team when the new American Football League (AFL) announced Minneapolis–St. Paul as one of its charter cities for the inaugural 1960 season. However, the NFL persuaded the team's owners to pull out of the AFL in January 1960 and join the NFL as an expansion team in 1961 , and was later named

8084-543: Was in 1959, with Mauch as manager, when the Millers lost the series 4 games to 3 to the Havana Sugar Kings . After the farm system era began, the Millers were top-level affiliates of the Boston Red Sox (1936–38; 1958–60) and New York Giants (1946–57). It returned to the Red Sox organization as a result of a swap on October 15, 1957 with the San Francisco Seals as part of the Giants' move to

8178-461: 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

8272-519: Was purchased by the Minneapolis/Richfield American Legion Post when the stadium was razed. The pole was sold back to the Twins and restored in 2010 ; it was then placed in the plaza at Target Field . A series of photographs taken in the mid-1980s during Metropolitan Stadium's abandonment. †= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium

8366-420: 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

8460-736: Was set when 49,571 fans came to see the Kicks defeat San Jose, 3–1. The team enjoyed great success in their first four seasons in Minnesota, winning a division title each year. Attendance dipped toward the end of the franchise's history, however, with an average of 16,605 per game in 1981, their final season. The size of the field for soccer games was 100 by 72 yards 1976–78 and 104 by 72 yards 1979–81. The Met also hosted multiple concerts. Numerous wrestling matches were held at Metropolitan Stadium, including contests featuring Hard Boiled Haggerty , Bob Geigel , Wilbur Snyder , Kay Noble , Lord Littlebrook , Verne Gagne , Gene Kiniski , Rene Goulet , Larry Hennig , Hans Schmidt , Mad Dog Vachon and Dick

8554-463: Was the Millers' play-by-play man from 1933 until the club folded in 1960 to make way for the Minnesota Twins . Ted Williams , Willie Mays and Carl Yastrzemski were among some future major leaguers who played for the Millers. The Millers won nine pennants in the Association during their fifty-nine years. They played their home games at Nicollet Park until 1955, the ballpark being demolished

8648-413: 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

8742-613: Was the case of the Kansas City Blues franchise to become the Washington Nationals (Senators) . However, some of the teams were just left out in the dark. It is unclear which of these two paths the Millers took, but most evidence seems to point toward abandonment, not a transfer to Baltimore as the Orioles , especially given that no player for the 1900 Millers played for the 1901 Orioles. Several teams went by

8836-549: Was unable to be used as a result of damage. Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota , through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League . The team played first in Athletic Park and later Nicollet Park . The name Minneapolis Millers has been associated with

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