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The Almanac for the 1900s shows a brand new major league which immediately competes on equal footing with...
   
... the National League. The Almanac for the 1900s shows an exciting time in Detroit... the infancy of the auto industry and the migration of people to a city growing by leaps and bounds to work in these new plants. And, of course, another major addition to the Detroit scene was its franchise in the newfangled "American League," a team that would be known as the "Tigers!"
| Year | Finish | W | L | Pct | GB | Manager | Attendance | |
| 1901 | Third | 74 | 61 | 548 | 8½ | George Stallings | 259,430 | |
| 1902 | Seventh | 52 | 83 | 385 | 30½ | Frank Dwyer | 189,469 | |
| 1903 | Fifth | 65 | 71 | 478 | 25 | Ed Barrow | 224,523 | |
| 1904 | Seventh | 62 | 90 | 408 | 32 | Barrow,Lowe | 177,796 | |
| 1905 | Third | 79 | 74 | 516 | 15½ | Bill Armour | 193,384 | |
| 1906 | Sixth | 71 | 78 | 477 | 21 | Bill Armour | 174,043 | |
| 1907 | First | 92 | 58 | 613 | -1½ | Hughie Jennings | 297,079 | |
| 1908 | First | 90 | 63 | 588 | -½ | Hughie Jennings | 436,199 | |
| 1909 | First | 98 | 54 | 645 | -3½ | Hughie Jennings | 490,490 | |
| 1900s | | 683 | 632 | 519 | 127 | | 2,442,413 | |
| Avg | | 76 | 70 | 519 | 9 | | 271,379 |
A brand new team in a brand new league... a lot of unknown quantities along with some rather established guys such as 2nd baseman Kid Gleason, who'd slowed down a bit, but had starred with the New York Giants, and Ducky Holmes, who'd come over from Brooklyn. The pitching was largely unknown... teams back then only carried 7 or 8 guys on the staff- relievers were strictly scrubs... guys not good enough to start! Manager George Stallings oversaw a team in an era when inside baseball dominated... singles, steals, squeeze plays... very very few home runs. And it stayed pretty much that way until the late teens when Babe Ruth and the lively ball pretty much changed things forever!
 1901(74-61) Shortstop Kid Elberfeld has his best year at the plate... leads the team in hitting at .308 and in RBIs with 76, but he's a nut.. he pours whisky into leg wounds and is nicknamed "The Tabasco Kid"
Outfielder Jimmy Barrett scores 112 runs to lead the team... and he leads the league in throwing out runners!
Hoosier Roscoe Miller leads the staff with 23 wins... but on September 5, he lobs the ball to Philadelphia hitters and laughs when he intentionally throws a bunt into the stands... What's up with that?
The Almanac says:
The not-quite-Motor City's return to major league ball is eventful... Detroit had spent 13 years as a bush league town, playing in the Western League since 1894. When that league invaded some National League towns and declared itself "Major," in 1901, Detroit already had several experienced players... and they have a good season.... which starts remarkably at home. In front of a huge crowd of over 10,000, the Tigers rally from a 13-4 deficit, scoring 10 runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 14-13... what a way to begin over 100 years of DETROIT TIGER BASEBALL!
1902(52-83) George Mullin arrives to pace the team in victories going 13-16, but he'll become one of the great Tiger pitchers winning at least 20 games 5 times... but also leading the league in walks 4 times in a row!
Jimmy Barrett hits .303 and cranks 4 home runs... both good enough to pace the club
"Wabash" George Mullin, again hits .325... a pitcher!
The Almanac says:
New amanager Frank Dwyer oversees a team which finishes last in hitting by 14 points... the pitching is only 6th best in the new loop, so the 7th place finish is pretty much deserved... so is Dwyer's exit after only one year.
1903(65-71)"Wahoo" Sam Crawford comes over from Cincinnati to lead the team in hitting at .335 and lead the league in triples with 25. Wahoo Sam would become the all time leader in triples with 309... a record which still stands!
Wild Bill Donovan wins 17 in his first of 10 seasons with the Tigers... he'd played in the old Western League for Grand Rapids!
Jimmy Barrett hits over .300 again... a solid .315
The Almanac says:
Crawford and Donovan are raided on the eve of baseball peace between the two leagues... and both are long-term stars in Motown. Ed Barrow takes over as field boss as the team improves due in a large part to the last-minute acquisitions
1904(62-90) "Twilight" Ed Killian... don't you LOVE these nicknames?... arrives from Cleveland to go 14-20... I realize it is the deadball era, but Ed once went 4 seasons- 1001 innings- without allowing a home run!
"Wabash" George Mullin goes 17-23, but finishes 42 of 44 games and leads a very weak-hitting team with his average of .290
Sam Crawford's worst year... he hits only .254. (An excellent book featuring Wahoo Sam is "The Glory of Their Times," by John Ritter... a great retelling-by the players-of their experiences in early baseball!)
The Almanac Says:
Hitting is still poor and pitching falls back a few notches... Barrow is out and he goes on to bigger and better things with the Evil Empire.
1905(79-74) Ty Cobb arrives and makes enemies out of... well almost everybody!
Wahoo Sam bounces back... hits just under .300
Ed Killian wins 23 games... the 2nd most of his career
The Almanac Says: And this is where things start to get interesting in Detroit Baseball History... an abrasive 19 year old Georgian named Ty Cobb is purchased from some southern league team somewhere and immediately goes to war... with the other team as well as with his own teammates... one that would last for his entire 24-year major league career. Called by many "the greatest player ever," Cobb uses every advantage he can think of to gain an edge over his opponent. We will have MUCH MORE on Mr. Cobb in our "Players" section- SOON! At any rate, the fortunes of the team improve markedly... Cobb only hits .240 as a rookie, but production is up and the pitching is improved... first winning record since 1901!
1906(71-78)Wabash George Mullin wins 21 to lead the team
Ty Cobb hits .316, steals 23 bases in limited duty... and pretty much cheeses everyone off
Attendance drops into the 170,000 range... 7th in the league
The Almanac Says: This team finishes 6th in pitching, 6th in hitting and... guess where in the standings? Sixth! Cobb's .320 average is about the only bright spot... and it's more than Bill Armour can take... he's gone after the season, but better things are ahead!
1907(92-58) All Cobb All The Time... as the 20 year old dominates the American League. Let's see... .350 averrage wins the batting tile by 27 points... leads the league in hits, stolen bases, RBIs, fights. He can hit with power, too- also leads in slugging pct and cranks 5 to finish 2nd
Bill Donovan has a career year, going 25-4... completes 27 of 28 starts
Wahoo Sam Crawford scores 102 runs and batted .323... said to have hit the ball harder than any other player of his era- his 312 lifetime triples record is pretty much untouchable
The Almanac Says: New manager Hughie "Ee-Yah" Jennings, yet another great nickname... seems to be a key difference in this squad... Jennings is very animated, jumping around in the coaches box, screaming his trademark "ee-yah"... some of these things are goofing around, some are signs, but the intensity that comes from these antics appear to be what the Tigers need to win their first pennant! The bats boom and the pitching is much improved- a great year by Wild Bill, while Killian won 25 and Mullin went 20-20(!)... they lead the league in hitting and storm through the second half of the season after trailing the leader by 6½ games on July 4. They slowly and steadily close the gap and win narrowly over Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics... the first of 3 consecutive pennants for Motown! ... but a tough World Series, swept by Chicago... As with all championship teams, we will have much more on the 1907 Tigers... so Y'all come back now y'hear?... but in the meantime, here's a World Series recap!
1908(90-63) "Kickapoo" Ed Summers, a 23 year-old rookie leads the league in wins and ERA... but 2 other feats are even more amazing! On September 25, he pitches two complete game wins over the A's and on July 16, he throws 18 scoreless innings against Washington... that game ends in a 0-0 tie!
Cobb again wins the batting title... and leads in RBIs. For that, he was paid a salary of $4,000 with an incentive of $800 if he batted over .300!
... and Wahoo Sam has another great year... second to Cobb in hitting and he leads the loop in homers!
The Almanac Says: Trailing by 2 games on September 23, Jenning's Tigers roar down the stretch with a 10-game winning streak to ice their second straight flag by ½ game over the Cleveland Naps. (The Naps are named after their best player and manager, Napoleon Lajoie!) Now why Cleveland plays one more game and lost it, I don't know... I'll dig into it... one of these days! At any rate, this team slugs its way to the pennant, overcoming a decline in pitching. Cobb's arch-enemy, outfielder Matty McIntyre leads the league in runs scored while Germany Schaefer and Claude Rossman both have good years with the bat. The result in the post season classic, is little better than '07, however as they lose once again to Chicago... More on this season, later, but here's a look at the World Series!
1909(98-54)Ty Cobb enjoys one of the dominant seasons in history... leads in pretty much every major category to grab the Triple Crown (HR-RBI-AVG) and also leads in stolen bases, singles, doubles, triples and who knows what else... in one game this season, "The Georgia Peach" steals 2nd, 3rd and home!
George Mullin has his finest season with 29 wins against only 8 losses... his victory total would stand alone until tied by Hal Newhouser and beaten by Denny McLain. Wabash George starts the season with a one-hitter and reels off 11 in a row at one point!
...and Donie Bush arrives to take over the shortstop duties... he'll hold that position for 12 more years. At only 5'6", he is a perfect leadoff man who leads the league in walks 5 times
The Almanac Says: This is another well-balanced team which leads the league in hitting, again with more than enough pitching to put it over the top... The Tigers stay in first place virtually the whole season, but it isn't easy... Connie Mack's A's are breathing down their necks the whole time, but never quite catch them! But.... another World Series disappointment, losing to the Pirates. and here's a World Series recap! This ends the pennant streak at 3... wonder if the term THREE-PEAT existed then!
Continue on to the TITANIC Teens!
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