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Tigers Trivia Take a trip down Detroit Tigers memory lane. From "DIY to the Rescue" episode DTTR-702

Sure you know they won the American League Championship last year, but do you know who the most famous Detroit Tiger of all is?

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Tigers Trivia

The 1905 season was a remarkable one for the organization in that it marked the first in a Detroit uniform for Tyrus Raymond Cobb (figure A), the most famous Tiger of all. Acquired in exchange for pitcher Eddie Cicotte and $700 from Augusta of the Sally League (plus an additional $50 for "immediate delivery"), Cobb played the first of his 3,033 major league games on August 30, 1905. His lifetime batting average was .367 and he stole home an amazing 54 times. Cobb would remain with the Tigers for 22 years, and when he retired in 1928, he had collected more records than any player in major league history.

A fearsome run producer and home run hitter, "Hammerin’ Hank" Greenberg (figure B) made the most of his career with the Tigers even with the interruption of four years of military service as a pilot during World War II and another season lost to injury. He still managed to capture two MVP awards and a pair of World Series titles. Greenberg led the American League in home runs 4 times in his career.

If any player defined the Tigers during the last half-century it was Al Kaline (figure C). He was the youngest rookie at the age of 19 to win a batting title. And, in 1980, he became just the 10th player ever elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility. At the time of his retirement, Kaline and Ty Cobb were the only Tigers ever to play 20 or more seasons in a Detroit uniform.

After finishing just one game out of first place in 1967, the Tigers were poised and loaded with talent entering the 1968 campaign (figure D). Under manager Mayo Smith, the club took the lead on May 10 and never relinquished it, finishing 12 games ahead of second-place Baltimore. Denny McLain was the hero of the campaign with a 31-6 record, becoming the first pitcher since Lefty Grove in 1934 (and remaining the last currently) to win 30 or more in a season. His efforts earned McLain unanimous acclaim as MVP and Cy Young winner in the league.

The 1984 Tigers were one of the greatest teams in baseball history. They streaked to a record 35-5 start, swept the Royals in the ALCS, and when they overpowered the Padres in the World Series, they matched the '27 Yankees and the '55 Dodgers to become just the third team in history to lead wire-to-wire and win the Series.

The Tigers returned to prominence in 2006 (figure E). Posting a 95-67 record, the Tigers earned a spot in the playoffs for the first time in 19 years. After a Game 1 loss in New York, the Tigers won three straight to eliminate the Yankees in the ALDS. Facing Oakland in the American League Championship Series, Detroit swept the Athletics in four games, capped off by a Magglio Ordonez three-run walk-off home run. The American League champions struggled in the World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games.

RESOURCES :

Major League Baseball
Website: www. mlb.com

Detroit Tigers
Website: Detroit.tigers.mlb.com