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Tiger Stadium | Briggs Stadium | Navin Field
The corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Detroit, Michigan was a popular destination for eighty-eight years. So popular that comparisons in the entertainment industry have been made to Hollywood and Vine. Tigers' fans once sat, yelled, cheered and booed with their team through 6,873 games. When the Tigers left Tiger Stadium to go play in Comerica Park, they left behind decades and decades worth of memories.
Play began at "The Corner" in 1912 and one of its regular employees — Al Kaline who spent forty-six years working there in various capacities — once said, "Tiger Stadium's strengths lie not in its dazzling architecture or creature comforts but in its character and charm."
History: Cobb. Gehringer. Gibson. Greenberg. Heilmann. Kaline. Kell. McLain. Newhouser. Trammel. Whitaker. Millions of fans saw this small group (and nearly 1,300 others) of Tiger legends when they walked through the gates. Generations shared stories in the seats with following generations and in 1999, the crowd went silent.
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"Ladies and gentlemen, less than six months ago, we began a warm season of farewells, and with each passing day we came a little bit closer to this historic occasion. The Lions, Joe Louis and Nelson Mandela. Six-thousand eight-hundred and seventy-three regular-season games, 35 postseason contents and a trio of spectacular All-Star Games, Tiger Stadium has been home to this great game of baseball. But more than anything, it has been a cherished home to our memories. Will you remember that last base hit? The last out? How about that last pitch? Or maybe it’s the first time as a child when you saw that green, green grass that will forever be etched into your mind and soul. Tonight, we say good-bye. But we will not forget. Open your eyes, look around and take a mental picture. Moments like this shall live on forever. It’s been 88 moving years at Michigan and Trumbull. The tradition built here shall endure along with the permanence of the Olde English D. But tonight we must say good-bye. Farewell, old friend Tiger Stadium. We will remember." - Ernie Harwell (Farewell Speech, Final Game at Tiger Stadium, 09/27/1999)
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First Game
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04-20-1912
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Last Game
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09-27-1999
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| Data |
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Capacity Changes
(Yearly
Attendance)
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1912
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23,000
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1923
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30,000
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1937
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52,416
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| Data |
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Backstop
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1912
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54'
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1954
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54.35'
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1955
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66'
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Left Field
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1912
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345'
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1926
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340.58'
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1930
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339'
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1931
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367'
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1934
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339'
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1938
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340'
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1939
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342'
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1942
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340'
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Left-Center Field
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1912
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365'
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Center Field
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1912
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467'
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1930
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455'
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1931
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464'
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1936
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459'
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1937
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450'
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1938
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440'
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1939
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450'
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1942
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420'
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1944
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440'
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Right-Center Field
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1912
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370'
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1982
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375'
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Right Field
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1912
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370'
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1926
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370.91'
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1930
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372'
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1931
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367'
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1936
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325'
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1939
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315'
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1942
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325'
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1954
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302'
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1955
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325'
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| Data |
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Flag Pole
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125' Tall and In Play
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Field Surfaces
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1912
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Bluegrass
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Tiger Stadium
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The architects who designed Tiger Stadium were Osborne Engineering. They built the park on the same property where Bennett Park (1896-1911) once stood. They did not design / build the second deck which first appeared in 1923 and ran from first to third base, the second deck in right field (1935), or the left field / center field deck (1936).
In 1934 the Detroit Tigers were in the middle of an American League pennant race. More newsworthy than that, was their superstar Hank Greenberg's reluctance to play on Rosh Hashana. A rabbi was consulted and Greenberg decided to play first base (in Tiger Stadium) and he hit two solo home runs including the game winner. A few days later it was Yom Kippur and Greenberg chose not to play prompting poet Edgar Guest to write the following poem which appeared in the Detroit Free Press on September 13, 1934:
We shall miss him on the field
and we shall miss him at the bat
But he's true to his religion
and I honor him for that!
Tiger Stadium items of interest: When Ty Cobb managed here, he had temporary bleachers installed in the outfield so home runs would be ruled ground-rule doubles. Was home to the Detroit Lions of the National Football League until the Silverdome opened in 1975. Saw MANY historic home runs including Babe Ruth's seven-hundredth on July 13, 1934; Reggie Jackson's light buster during the 1971 All-Star Game, and a few that even left the park (share your memories of these & Tiger Stadium on Baseball Fever). Had a sign above the visitor's clubhouse which read:
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Visitor's Clubhouse
No Visitors Allowed
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