Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are of the American League's eight charter franchises
The Detroit Tigers' club was founded in Detroit in 1894 as part of the Western League.
Since then the Tigers have won four World Series championships (1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984) and have won the American League pennant 10 times. Since 2000, the team has played home matches at Comerica Park.
10/15/2011
Tigers are out in game 6. Tiger pitching, fielding, and bad calls resulted in eight
runs against in the third. This is a hill no Tiger team could climb.
The 2011 Detroit Tigers
9/9/2011
Currently first place in their divisions (9/9/2011), the 2011 Detroit Tigers brought back much of their 2010 roster. However, most notably, the team decided not to re-sign outfielder Johnny Damon, catcher Gerald Laird, and pitcher Jeremy Bonderman. Pitcher Armando Galarraga was also traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two pitching prospects from the minor league.
Three notable additions to the roster this year included starting pitcher Brad Penny, reliever Joaquin Benoit, and catcher/DH Victor Martinez. The team re-signed infielders Jhonny Peralta and Brandon Inge, outfielders Magglio Oróñez and Ryan Raburn, and pitchers Joel Zumaya and Phil Coke.
Prominent team members include Justin Verlander who has over 20 wins this season, including his second career no-hitter on May 7, 2011 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Verlander also is the first player since Curt Schilling to reach 20 wins before the end of August. Other stand-out players include catcher Alex Avila, who was voted in as a starter for the 2011 All-Star Game, as well as Jose Valverda and Miguel Cabrera, who were added as reserves to the All-Star roster. Jhonny Peralta also made the All-Star Team, replacing Derek Jeter, who was unable to play due to injury.
The Detroit Tigers Active Roster includes:
Fielders
Catchers
• 13 - Alex Avila: Starting catcher. Was also a starter on the 2011 All-Star team, as well as caught for Justin Verlander during his no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays.
• 41 - Victor Martinez: With an outstanding year so far, Martinez functions as the Tigers designated hitter.
• 18 - Omir Santos: A backup catcher, Santos has seen limited action this season.
Infielders
• 20 - Wilson Betemit: Tigers third baseman.
• 24 - Miguel Cabrera: First baseman. Currently, leads the team in batting average, home runs, and RBIs.
• 9 - Carlos Guillén: Normally at second base, Guillén has seen limited playing time due to injury this season. He will be a free agent next year.
• 15 - Brandon Inge: Another Tiger third baseman who has seen limited action.
• 27 - Jhonny Peralta: With a batting average currently hovering around .300, the former Cleveland Indian short stop has had a banner year with his former rivals. He hit two home runs in his Tiger debut in 2010 and made the All-Star Game in 2011, replacing an injured Derek Jeter.
• 28 - Will Rhymes: Backup second baseman.
• 39 - Ramón Santiago: Second baseman who has seen extensive playtime this season due to Carlos Guillén's injuries. Outfielder Ryan Raburn now plays second base.
• 29 - Danny Worth: Backup third baseman.
Outfielders
• 12 - Andy Dirks: Backup outfielder; mainly plays in left field. Has been getting more starts with the move of Ryan Raburn to second base.
• 14 - Austin Jackson: Starter at the center field position. He also currently leads the team in stolen bases.
• 32 - Don Kelly: Backup outfielder. Has shared the outfield duties with outfielder Andy Dirks since Ryan Raburn's move to second base.
• 30 - Magglio Ordóñez: Starting right fielder. He is said to lack power after undergoing ankle surgery.
• 25 - Ryan Raburn: Tigers starting right fielder, but has been doing extra duty at second base since Scott Sizemore's trade to the Oakland Athletics
• 21 - Delmon Young: Backup outfielder. Traded to the Tigers from the Minnesota Twins on August 15, 2011, in a waiver trade. He hit a homerun that night batting from the number 3 spot against his old team, the Twins.
Pitchers
Starting Rotation
• 35 - Justin Verlander: With over 20 wins and 200 strikeouts, Justin Verlander is having a stellar year as the top pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. He threw a no-hitter on May 7, 2011 (the second of his career). He was voted into the 2011 All-Star Game but was unable to play due to a scheduling conflict with his starts.
Verlander has five pitches in his arsenal: a four-seam fastball in the high-90s (but has been clocked at speeds of over 100 MPH), a two-seam fastball (mid-90s), a 12-6 curveball in the 78-83 mph range, a circle changeup somewhere in the low-to-mid-80s, and finally a slider that ranges from 83-89 mph.
• 37 Max Scherzer: Originally in the third starter position when the 2011 season began, Scherzer won his first six starts, the first Tiger to do so since Jeremy Bondman in 2006. This success led to him being bumped up to second in the rotation with the acquisition of Doug Fister on July 30, 2011.
Scherzer's pitching repertoire: a four-seam fastball (mid-90s), a slider (in the low-80s), and what is considered his best pitch by many, a changeup (low-80s).
• 58 - Doug Fister: Obtained in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, he is now in the Tiger's starting rotation.
Fister's pitching arsenal: changeup (low-80s), 12-6 curveball (mid-70s), slider (mid-80s), four-seam fastball (high-80s), and a two-seam fastball (high-80s)
• 31 - Brad Penny: Starter who was formerly with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Brad Penny's pitch selection: fastball (low-90s), slider (mid-to-high-80s), and the occasional knuckleball.
• 48 - Rick Porcello: 22-year-old starter.
Rick Porcello's pitching selection: four-seam fastball (mid-to-high-90s), slider (low-80s), changeup (low-80s), and a curveball (mid-70s).
Bullpen
• 62 - Al Alburquerque: Making his major league debut on April 15, 2011, versus the Oakland Athletics, Alburquerque has a two-pitch arsenal, a four-seam fastball (95-98 mph range) and what has been termed one of the nastiest sliders in baseball (it has tremendous tilt and break, as well as ranging in the mid-to-high-80s).
• 64 - Duane Below: A former starter who now is a more-than-adequate reliever. Below retired 12 straight batters against the Tiger's divisional rival Cleveland Indians in a 14-inning marathon on August 9 of this year.
• 53 - Joaquín Benoit: Joining the Tigers in 2010, Benoit is the setup man for closer José Valverde. He has three pitches that he uses on most nights: a fastball (mid-90s), a slider (mid-80s), and a changeup (low-80s).
• 40 - Phil Coke: Having served time in the starting rotation in 2011, Coke has been reassigned to the bullpen where he serves mostly as relief in the sixth and seventh innings, boasting a fastball in the low-90s.
• 49 - Luis Marte: reliever who serves primarily as a short reliever.
• 34 - David Pauley: He was traded to Detroit in the same trade that brought Doug Fister to the lineup in July 2011. A sinkball pitcher, he also has a standard fastball (high-80s), changeup, and curveball in his repertoire, though it has more of a sweeping motion than your standard 12-6 curveball.
• 45 - Ryan Perry: middle reliever who has spent time this year on Triple A Toledo Mud Hens (a Detroit farm team) trying to improve his command of the ball.
• 55 - Daniel Schlereth: Came to Detroit with the same trade that brought Max Scherzer to the rotation. His pitches feature a fastball (low-90s) and a curveball (high-70s).
Closer
• 46 - José Valverde: The highly energetic Valverde is the closer for the Detroit Tigers. He reached his 200th save in 2011, in addition to being elected to the 2011 All-Star Team, where he served as closer for the American League.
Valverde has four pitches that he uses: a four-seam fastball (97-100 mph), a two-seam fastball (mid-90s), a splitter (high-80s to low-90s), and a slider (high-80s to low-90s).
World Series Victories
Starting in 1905, the Detroit Tigers acquired one of the greatest players of the game of baseball, Ty Cobb. They quickly took advantage of his baseball skill and won their first American League pennant in 1907. They would not actually win a World Series until 1935, going on to win four titles. To date, they have taken part in a total of 10 World Series.
The 1935 World Series pitted Detroit against the Chicago Cubs. They would eventually prevail against the Cubs in six games. The Tigers would not see another World Series victory for another 10 years. In 1945, against the Cubs once again, the Tigers won the World Series - this time winning four games of a seven-game series.
Their next World Series win would have to wait until 1968, where they prevailed against the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Their last and final World Series title to date took place in 1984 against the San Diego Padres, where they won four games to one.
Most recently, the Tigers took part in the 2006 World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games.
Other Prominent Players and History
In addition to Cobb, other prominent players who have been on the Tiger's roster over the years include Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Mickey Cochrane, George Kell, and Willie Horton, among others.
A baseball history rich in tradition, the Detroit Tigers have worn basically the same home uniform since 1934. They are also the only team in Major League Baseball to have a different color (orange) on their road uniforms that is not on their home uniform. They are the only team in baseball that elects to wear their regular jerseys during batting practice at spring training, as opposed to the batting practice jerseys that other teams wear.
2011 Pitcher Justin Verlander (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Ty Cobb (left) and Napoleon Lajoie (right); photograph taken in 1910 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
The 1968 World Champion Detroit Tigers pose for a photo before the game. (Photo taken June 24, 2008, by Kevin Ward, Wikimedia Commons.)