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105-663: The "Millionaires" were so named because of, according to The Boston Globe , the "lavish manner" in which franchise ownership supported the team. The Nashua Millionaires and earlier Nashua teams of the New England League hosted all home minor league games at Nashua's Lawndale Park. In 1933, their final season of play with that nickname, the Millionaires were a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers . Nashua next hosted minor league baseball in 1946, when

210-493: A 12–6 record when the franchise relocated from Quincy, Massachusetts to Nashua, playing as a Detroit Tigers minor league affiliate. The team became the "Nashua Millionaires" and Nashua continued play until the franchise relocated for a second time before completing the season. On August 8, 1933, the Nashua Millionaires moved to Brockton, Massachusetts where the team completed New England League season playing as

315-523: A 33–19 record, followed by the Nashua Rainmakers (27–21), Lowell (24–24) and Salem/Haverhill (20–28). Nashua hosted home games at Kinsley Park in 1895. Nashua resumed minor league play in 1901, with the team becoming members of the New England League. The Augusta Live Oaks , Bangor Millionaires , Haverhill Hustlers , Lewiston , Lowell Tigers , Manchester , Nashua and Portland teams began league play on May 15, 1901. Nashua began play in

420-684: 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

525-577: 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,

630-485: A Boston scout. Shortly after the 1926 season began, Lakee stepped down as the Nashua manager and turned over the team to Walter "Chick" Keating , while remaining with the Millionaires franchise as vice-president and a scout for the team. The Nashua "Millionaires finished in last place in 1926, returning to New England League play. With a 37–56 record, Fred Lake , Chick Keating , Sandy McGregor and Johnny Mitchell managed

735-549: 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

840-503: A Nashua franchise in the league. In 1933, as the New England League reformed as a six-team Class B level league, the Nashua Millionaires returned to New England League play for a partial season in 1933, joining the league during the season. It would be the last season of play for the Millionaires in the New England League. The team played in three cities during the season. On June 6, 1933, the Quincy Shipbuilders had compiled

945-523: A carpenter. A week or two later Van Zandt returned, rejoined the Nashua team and became the team captain. He briefly served as the Nashua manager. Van Zandt played in 76 total games for Nashua, posting a .367 batting average and a had 1-2 record as manager. On September 7, 1902, Van Zandt was sent by Nashua to Worcester Hustlers of the Eastern League for the remainder of the season, where he replaced Worcester outfielder Jimmy Sebring , after Sebring

1050-535: A contract. Polli eventually became the first major league player born in Italy in 1932 and is one of seven Italian-born players to play in major league baseball. Polli compiled 236 wins in his lengthy minor league pitching career, spanning 22 seasons. In 1945, Polli threw a no hitter in his final appearance in minor league game. In 1926 Clyde Sukeforth went to spring training with the Cincinnati Reds . After

1155-403: A four-team league, the New England League disbanded on June 22, 1930. Shano Collins managed the Millionaires, who had a record of 5–13 when they folded. The New England League did not return to play in the 1931 or 1932 seasons. After the New England League folded during the season in 1930, Nashua manager Shano Collins immediately became the manager of Des Moines Demons . After Collins took over

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1260-405: 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

1365-488: 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

1470-576: 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

1575-658: 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

1680-765: A minor league baseball team that played in Worcester, Massachusetts from 1899 to 1900 for the Eastern League . Under manager Frank Leonard in 1899, they went 58-51, and in 1900 they went 62-63. They were renamed the Worcester Quakers in 1901 and the Worcester Hustlers in 1902. In 1903, they became the Worcester Riddlers, but the team collapsed during the season and moved to become the Montreal Royals . This article about

1785-520: A minor league manager, a major league coach and a scout after his playing career. Sukeforth is known for scouting and signing both Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente . Due to a suspension of manager Leo Durocher , Sukeforth served as the interim manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, managing the Dodgers to wins in the first two games of the season, which included Sukeforth making our

1890-476: 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

1995-404: A penchant for confrontational behavior. In his thirteen-year major career, the 6'5" tall McLean played in 862 games. His major league career ended in 1915 following a physical fight that involved New York Giants manager John McGraw and Giants scout Dick Kinsella in a hotel lobby. After having been suspended for ten days by McGraw for not being in condition to play, McLean and entered the lobby of

2100-463: A player to umpire the for remainder of the game in which Nashua eventually lost to Lowell by the score of 7-1. Ike Van Zandt had a whirlwind season in 1902. On June 2, 1902, Ike Van Zandt, who had just returned to play for Nashua after a suspension was fined $ 100 and suspended by the team for "instigating a rebellion" The Portsmouth Herald, reported that Van Zandt had "led a 'strike' the day before and came near getting three others to join. As it was,

2205-614: A promotion to MLB umpiring, Weafer began dieting and chopping down Christmas trees, as his weight went from 220 pounds to 170 pounds. He then advanced and began major league umpiring in September 1942. Weafer remained an American League umpire until 1947, when he began serving as an umpire supervisor in the minor leagues. Weafer also approved and worked with graduates of the Al Somers Umpire School . Nashua next hosted minor league baseball in 1946. Nashua resumed play when

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2310-478: A saloon in Boston the day after a McLean had had an altercation in the same bar. The saloon manager, James J. Connor, was arrested on suspicion of murder and Connor was later sentenced to serve one year in prison. In the 1903 season, Moonlight Graham played for Nashua and also the league champion Lowell Tigers teams in the New England League. With a short major league baseball career, Moonlight Graham later became

2415-470: 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

2520-537: 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

2625-593: 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

2730-434: A transaction to acquire Van Zandt for Philadelphia, but Van Zandt refused to join the A's demanding a portion of the financial agreement between the two teams for himself. On September 8, 1904, Nashua suspended Van Zandt as Mack waived his claim to the player. Van Zandt was eventually reinstated by Nashua who promptly sold his contract to the St. Louis Browns . Van Zandt batted .311 in 119 games for Nashua in 1904, while leading

2835-550: 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

2940-409: 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

3045-532: The Brockton Shoemakers . The Quincy/Nashua/Brockton team ended the season with an overall record of 28–47, placing fifth in the six-team New England League. Hal Weafer and Paul Wolff served as managers in the three cities and the team did not qualify for the four-team leageue playoffs. The three city team placed finished 22.0 games behind the first place New Bedford Whalers in the final regular season standings. The New England League changed names after

3150-652: The Canadian-American Hockey League when he was hired as the manager in Nashua in 1927. He had a storied career in both sports. Following his season in Nashua, Stewart remained in baseball and became an umpire, while also forging a hockey career. In 1931, Stewart became a full-time referee in the National Hockey League before leaving his referee position to become coach of the Chicago Blackhawks in 1937 and leading

3255-716: The Chicago Cubs . On December 12, 1903, McLean was traded from the Cubs to the St. Louis Cardinals in what was described as "one of the worst trades in St. Louis Cardinals history." McLean and Jack Taylor were traded to the by the Cubs to the Cardinals in exchange for future Baseball Hall of Fame member Mordecai Brown and Jack O'Neill . McLean was said to regularly chew large amounts of Brown's Mule Chewing tobacco and drink heavily. Usually drinking corn whiskey , McLean and had

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3360-521: The Detroit Tigers after they agreed to pay his college tuition. He attended Providence College where he became an All-American in baseball and graduated in 1934. When Birdie was eight years old, he met Francis P. Murphy , owner of Nashua's J.F. McElwain Company, who later became the governor of New Hampshire beginning in 1937. Murphy sponsored the Nashua Millionaires and encouraged Tebbetts in his baseball pursuits. Birdie Tebbetts eventually served as

3465-520: The Eastern League . Right-handed pitcher Lou Polli played for Nashua in 1926 at age 24. New York Yankees scout Ben Houser , who had managed Polli with the semi-professional Old Town, Maine team of the Boston Twilight League was impressed by Polli's pitches. Polli threw a curve ball, a sinker, a knuckleball and a screwball to go along with his fastball estimated at above 90 mph. Houser recommended Polli to Nashua, who signed him to

3570-622: The Fall River Indians in league play. In 1902, Garry Wilson signed with Nashua in late May. With Nashua, Wilson had a .259 batting average in 98 games, playing second base. After Nashua's season ended, the team held a banquet on September 11, 1902, at the Tremont House Hotel in Nashua. After the banquet that evening, Wilson was signed by the Boston Americans for the remainder of the season and soon joined

3675-569: The Nashua Dodgers beginning in 1946. Nashua resumed minor league play in 1926 when the New England League reformed as a Class B level league, after having folded in 1919. On May 11, 1926, the Haverhill Hillies , Lawrence Merry Macks , Lewiston Twins , Lowell Highwaymen, Lynn Papooses , Manchester Blue Sox and Portland Eskimos teams joined the Nashua Millionaires in beginning league play. The "Millionaires" nickname for

3780-464: 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

3885-661: 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

3990-455: The 1901 New England League under manager Henry Burns. The Nashua team had a final record of 39–49 to place sixth in the final standings of the eight-team independent New England League, which held no playoffs in the era. Nashua ended the season 14.0 games behind the first place Portland team in the standings. The Bangor and Augusta teams both relocated during the New England League season only to fold together on July 5, 1901. This left Nashua to end

4095-617: The 1906 New England league, which continued play as an eight-team league. Nashua and the Concord Marines were replaced in league play by the Worcester Hustlers and Manchester Textiles teams. Stephen Flanagan managed the Manchester Textiles team in 1906. The Nashua "Millionaires" team played the 1925 season as members of the semi-professional Boston Twilight League. Tom Whelan was the player/manager as

4200-482: 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

4305-681: The 1933 season, before reforming in 1946. After the 1933 season, Nashua player/manager Hal Weafer retired as a player and became a minor league umpire. Weafer worked as an umpire in the Bi-State League in 1935, the International League from 1936 to 1937, and the American Association from 1938 to 1942. After the president of the American Association suggested that Weafer lose 15–20 pounds for

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4410-456: 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

4515-553: 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. Worcester Hustlers The Worcester Farmers were

4620-478: 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

4725-436: 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

4830-633: The Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup championship in his first season before being fired in his second season. He returned to hockey officiating and served in the NHL until 1941. Stewart was simultaneously an umpire in the National League from 1933 to 1954. Stewart was an umpire in four World Series ( 1937 , 1943 , 1948 and 1953 World Series ). He also umpired in four All-Star Games , the ( 1936 , 1940 , 1948 and 1954 All Star Games), working behind

4935-515: 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

5040-507: The Millionaire's team mascot. His time as the mascot for the Millionaires was responsible for Tebbetts becoming a catcher, as his idol on the team was Clyde Sukeforth. In 1927, the Nashua Millionaires continued New England League play and improved to a third-place finish, led by manager Bill Stewart . Nashua ended the regular season with a record of 47–43, placing third in the New England League. The Millionaires finished 12.5 games behind

5145-605: The Millionaires during their last place season. The Millionaires placed eighth in the final standings, finishing 20.5 games behind the first place Manchester Blue Sox in the eight-team league. Having played for the Millionaires team in 1925, Carl Ray returned to play for Nashua in 1926 after being released by both the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association in May 1926 and the Hartford Senators of

5250-499: The Millionaires won the league championship. In 1926, the New England League would reform as a minor league. For the 1926 season Whelan was hired to manage the Lowell Highwaymen team in the newly reformed league, but he had to resign as minor league baseball banned him for the season for having used a banned player while managing at Nashua in 1925. Pitcher Carl Ray continued play for Nashua in 1926 after having played for

5355-641: The Nashua "Rainmakers" as a member. The other league members were the Fitchburg , Haverhill , Lawrence Indians , Lowell Ladies Men and Salem teams. On May 3, 1895, in a game at Nashua, Lawrence defeated Nashua 36–17. The New England Association permanently disbanded on July 8, 1895, when the league folded with the Lawrence Indians in first place. In the shortened season, Lawrence won the New England Association championship with

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5460-471: The Nashua Millionaires rejoined the eight-team Class B level league during the season. The Nashua Millionaires membership in the league was brief. After beginning the season as members, on June 19, 1929, the Lowell Millers franchise relocated to become the Nashua Millionaires. The Millers had a record of 13-22 at the time of the move. After compiling a 28–47 record in while based Nashua, the team ended

5565-481: The Nashua Millionaires semi-pro team in 1925. Ray threw a no-hitter for Nashua against Jeff Tesreau and the Lynn Shoemakers team on July 3, 1925, winning the pitcher's duel with Tesreau by the score of 1-0. Nahusa native Ray Dobens played for the 1925 semi-professional Nashua Millionaires in the summer while still a student playing baseball at Holy Cross . Dobens would later serve as the general manager of

5670-575: The Nashua team, The Boston Globe said was due to the "lavish manner in which they were supported by the owners." In 1926, at age 61, Fred Lake returned to baseball as the owner/manager. Lake had owned and managed the Lowell Tigers in the New England League decades earlier before becoming a scout for the Boston Red Sox . Lake is credited for discovering future Boston Red Sox ' Baseball Hall of Fame player Tris Speaker as well as Smokey Joe Wood , Harry Hooper and Bill Carrigan in his time as

5775-514: The New England League reformed in 1946. The Nashua Dodgers were formed as a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers and began a noteworthy three season tenure as members of the reformed league with Baseball Hall of Fame member Walter Alston as manager. Nasuha native and former Nashua Millionaires player Ray Dobens served as the general manager of the Nashua Dodgers , with his brother Fred Dobens serving as president of

5880-508: The New England League reformed with the Nashua Dodgers as a member. Nashua began minor league play in 1885 when the "Nashua" team played as members of the independent New Hampshire State League . Nashua continued play in the New Hampshire State League in 1886. In 1895, Nashua joined the eight–team Independent level New England Association . The New England Association reformed as a six–team independent league with

5985-434: 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

6090-405: 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

6195-516: 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

6300-432: The ballpark in the fifth inning. During an argument with the umpire, over a disputed fair or foul home run that Gaffney ruled as a fair ball, Nashua pitcher Jack Miran punched Gaffney in the face. Many of the 500 fans in attendance at Lawndale Park mobbed Gaffney, who required a police escort to leave the field. Lowell manager Fred Lake changed Gaffney's call to a foul ball, taking away his team's home run. Each team provided

6405-481: The basis of the character of his same name in the baseball movie Field of Dreams Author W.P. Kinsella had first discovered Graham's name and statistical information in The Baseball Encyclopedia and noticed that Graham played just one major league game with 0 at-bats. Kinsella's research revealed that Graham become a physician after his baseball career ended. Kinsella based Graham's story on

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6510-602: 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

6615-414: The character in his novel Shoeless Joe . In 1989, Kinsella's novel was adapted into the motion picture Field of Dreams . In the 1903 season, Moonlight Graham hit .240 with seven triples, while playing in 89 games between Nashua and Lowell. Pitcher Ed Pinnance played for Nashua in 1904 after making history the previous season. In 1903, while pitching for the Philadelphia Athletics , Pinnance had become

6720-410: 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

6825-412: The earlier days, I could always go to you, talk with you, and receive the warm and friendly advise that I always did," the letter said in part. Future major league All-Star Birdie Tebbetts was a native of Nashua, graduating from Nashua High School where he was an All-State athlete as a football quarterback and as a baseball catcher. After graduating from high school, Tebbetts signed a contract with

6930-577: 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

7035-410: 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

7140-533: 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

7245-454: The first full-blooded American Indian to play in a regular season game in the major leagues. Pinnacle made his major league debut on September 14, 1903, pitching for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Senators . The 1904 Nashua team ended the New England League season in a tie for fifth place in the final league standings. With an overall record of 62–62, Nashua finished 20.5 games behind

7350-475: 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

7455-408: The first place Lynn Papooses in the final regular season standings. Nashua did not qualify for the playoff won by Lynn over Portland. The Nashua Millionaires folded after the 1927 season. Nashua's Bill Scholz led the New England League with 73 RBI. Nashua Manager Bill Stewart served as an ice hockey official and coach during his baseball playing career and had just served as an ice hockey referee for

7560-496: The first place Lowell Tigers in the final standings and ended the season in a direct tie with the Concord Marines. Concord ended their season with an identical record to Nashua at 62–62. Jack Carney and Sid Rollins served as the managers in leading Nashua in the New England League season. Nashua player Ike Van Zandt led the New England with seven home runs. Ike Van Zandt returned to Nashua in 1904, playing his third season with

7665-414: 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,

7770-433: 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

7875-478: 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

7980-451: 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

8085-491: 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

8190-410: The league in home runs. The 1905 New England League standings saw the Nashua finish in seventh place in the eight-team league. Nashua ended the season with a record of 41–66, finishing 27.5 games behind the first place Concord Marines, who had a 69–39 record. Stephen Flanagan managed the Nashua in the final season of Nashua's initial tenure as members of the New England League. Nashua did not return to

8295-493: The lineup card for Robinson's major league debut on April 15, 1947. On July 21, 1972, Jackie Robinson wrote a letter to Sukeforth that is now preserved at the Baseball Hall of Fame . "Please understand that I do not have any reservations in praise for the role that Clyde Sukeforth played in the growth and development of my beginnings in baseball. I have been very appreciative of the fact that whenever there were problems in

8400-474: The plate in the 1954 game. Bill Stewart was the home plate umpire for Johnny Vander Meer 's second consecutive no-hitter in 1938, and served as the crew chief for the 1951 three-game pennant playoff series between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers . In 1957, Stewart returned to hockey was named coach of the U.S. men's national hockey team leading the team to a record of 23–3–1. Stewart

8505-509: The play of the team was so loose that the game was lost when it ought to have been won...He and McManus (also suspended) were outfielders and they seldom made an error." After hitting .242 in 22 games for Nashua, Van Zandt was briefly sent to join the semipro Woonsocket Gyms. In late July 1902, after returning to the team, Van Zandt decided to retire from baseball and he left the Nashua team, returned to his family in New York and began working as

8610-432: 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

8715-414: The season before, Nashua improved to place second in the 1903 New England League standings. With a 68–46 record, Nashua finished 4.5 games behind the first place Lowell Tigers in the final standings. Ed Ashenbach, Chub Collins and Tommy Dowd served as the managers as Nashua continued play in the eight–team Class B league. Catcher Larry McLean played for Nashua in 1903 before ending the 1903 season with

8820-414: The season in last place in the final standings, finishing in sixth place of the six remaining teams. Nashua continued play in the 1902 New England League and an ugly event occurred at Nashua during the 1902 season. On July 14, 1902, umpire Gaffney was working his first New England League game as Nashua played Lowell at Nashua. Games in the era often had only one umpire. After a series of events, Gaffney left

8925-541: 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,

9030-541: The season with an overall record of 41–69. The Lowell/Nashua team ended the season in seventh place and were managed by Bill Merritt and Tom DeNoville. A Lowell native, Bill Merritt had purchased the New England League Salem Witches franchise and moved the team to Lowell to begin the 1929 season. After beginning the season in Lowell, poor attendance and financial issues forced Merritt to sell

9135-409: 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

9240-644: The spring ended, Sukeforth played for the Nashua Millionaires of the Class B New England League, before Reds recalled him in late May, where he made his big-league debut on May 31, 1926. After appearing in four games for the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, Sukeforth spent the rest of 1926 with the Manchester Blue Sox before making the Reds roster in 1927. Sukeforth later became

9345-409: 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

9450-494: 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

9555-541: The team to Nashua owners. The Manchester Blue Sox won the New England League championship and finished 31.5 games ahead of the seventh place Millers/Millionaires. Nashua finished ahead of only the eighth place Gloucester Hillies in the final standigs. The 1930 New England League continued play as a six-team League, with Nashua as a member to begin the season. On June 16, 1930, both the Lewiston Twins and Nashua Millionaires disbanded. After briefly continuing play as

9660-410: The team's hotel with an entourage of other men and the group first attacked Kinsella, who broke a chair over McLean's head in the melee. McLean's group eventually fled away from the scene in a car. John McGraw immediately dismissed McLean from the team that day and he never played for another major league team. Six years later in 1921, McLean was shot and killed at age 39. McLean was shot by the manager of

9765-539: The team, the Demons improved last place to third place by the end of the Western League season. After a two-season hiatus from minor league play, the 1933 Nashua Millionaires returned to the reformed six-team Class B level New England League. The Lawrence Weavers , Lowell Lauriers , New Bedford Whalers , Quincy Shipbuilders , Taunton Blues and Worcester Chiefs teams began league play on May 17, 1933 without

9870-753: The team. The Nashua teams played home minor league games at the Lawndale Park. The ballpark site was also referred to as the "North Common." In the era, the Lawndale Park ballpark site was on Lawndale Avenue, located near today's Fields Grove Park and Salmon Brook In use today as a public park with numerous amenities, Fields Grove is located on Field Street in Nashua, New Hampshire. Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit . The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as

9975-471: The team. In July 1904, Nashua manager Jack Carney received offers for Van Zandt from Frank Selee of the Chicago Cubs , Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics and Hugh Duffy of the Philadelphia Phillies . In mid-August van Zandt joined the Chicago Cubs briefly before returning to Nashua after Selee didn't take Van Zandt back to Chicago after a road trip. In early September, Connie Mack had made

10080-522: The team. Wilson major league debut with playing for Boston on September 27, 1902. During the 1902 season, Wilson and his Nashua teammate Ike Van Zandt partnered together to open a pool hall in Nashua. In 1903, the Nashua team continued league play as members of the eight–team Class B level New England League. Nahusa joined the Brockton Shoemakers , Concord Marines , Fall River Indians , Haverhill Hustlers , Lawrence Colts , Lowell Tigers and Manchester teams in league play. After their last place finish

10185-485: 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

10290-476: 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

10395-532: 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

10500-495: Was called up to the major leagues by the Pittsburgh Pirates . In 1902, Nashua continued play as members of the eight team, Class B level New England League, as the league received a class level. Playing home games at Landale Park, the Nashua team ended the season in sixth place in the 1902 New England League standings. Nashua finished with a record of 46–66, as Henry Burns returned as manager. The Nashua team finished 29.0 games behind first place Manchester and finished ahead of only

10605-536: 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

10710-539: Was elected to the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982 and his grandson Paul Stewart later became an NHL official. Today, Bill Stewart's whiskbroom is currently in the collection at the Baseball Hall of Fame . The Nashua Millionaires did not return to the 1928 New England League, being replaced in the eight-team league by the Attleboro Burros franchise. As the New England League continued play in 1929,

10815-461: 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

10920-420: 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

11025-413: 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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