Over the years, we have seen some outstanding Tiger Pitchers. Baseball is the oldest of the major American professional sports. In 1876, Major League Baseball, or “MLB,” went by a different name. When baseball originated in America, it was known as the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. While not part of the original eight teams, the Detroit Tigers were among the earliest.
Founded in 1901, the Detroit Tigers were one of the first American League Charter franchises. Among those charter franchises were eight teams: the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Blues (now guardians), Philadelphia Athletics (now Phillies), Washinton Senators (Nationals), Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Stockings (now White Sox), and, of course, our very own Detroit Tigers.
For the organization’s 123-year history, the Detroit Tigers have collected four World Series titles: first in 1935, then in 1945, 1968, and 1984. Over the years, the Tigers have had superstar rosters to capture those titles. However, not only the championship teams had amazingly talented rosters.
We’ve seen legends like Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Willie Horton, Al Kaline, and Justin Verlander throughout all these teams. The Tigers have some of the greatest players in baseball history. We’ve been remarkably fortunate enough to see many Hall of Fame Pitchers play for the city of Detroit.
Legendary Tiger Pitchers
Among the great, we’ve seen many amazing Tiger pitchers, from Hal Newhouser, Justin Verlander, Mickey Lolich, Jack Morris, Mark Fidrych, and many more. There is no shortage of superstars in Detroit! Even though Cooperstown handles Hall of Fame invites, they never rank players correctly. Through all the legends in Detroit, who were some of the best?
We’ve compiled a list based on statistics, skill set, and impact. We’ll also highlight some of the most sensational feats and performances for each. Check out the list of the 7 Greatest pitchers ever to play for the Tigers in no particular order! Aside from the players, Tiger fans have made headlines lately as well!
Mark Fidrych
Fidrych may not be the greatest pitcher in Tiger history, but he is one of the most memorable. In fact, the more fitting title may be “The greatest rookie Pitcher”. Mark Fidrych or “The bird” as he was called had an absolutely astonishing rookie season. Finishing 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA, pitched 250 Innings while throwing an unreal 24 complete games. He won Tiger of the year, MLB rookie of the year and finished 4th in the American league in wins.
NEW YORK – CIRCA 1979: Mark Fidrych #20 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the New York Yankees during an Major League Baseball game circa 1979 at Yankee Stadium the Bronx borough of New York City. Fidrych played for the Tigers from 1976-80. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Jack Morris
Jack Morris is a Tigers legend, finishing 2 wins shy of 200 with his career with Detroit and only losing 150. He pitched a ton of important baseball games. With 175 complete games in his career, he gave Detroit countless crucial innings during their 1984 world series championship and was a key part of it.
DETROIT – 1987: Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers pitches during an MLB game at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan during the 1987 season. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Hal Newhouser
While Hal Newhouser played long before Jack Morris and the 1984 Tigers, he had very similar success when it comes to Win-loss totals. Hal finished his Detroit career with an impressive 200 win and 148 losses. He was an integral part of the 1945 world series team behind his dominant 25-9 season where he held opposing teams to a 1.81 ERA. Newhouser was unhittable, tossing 29 complete games and shutouts that year. He also struck out over 200 batters and held hitters to a pathetic .211 batting average all season. Long story short, there is a reason he made it to the hall of fame and the center field wall at Comerica Park.
(Original Caption) Detroit: When Tiger Stars Were Friendlier. Tiger pitcher’s Hal Newhouser (Left), and Dizzy Trout are seen during friendlier days. Detroit news reported Sept. 30, that the mainstays of Detroit’s pitching staff had harsh words with each other after Trout showed up at the ball park out of uniform. According to the news, the athletes took a few pokes at each other, finally clinched, and were separated by Tiger public relations men, who said they knew nothing of the incident.
Mickey Lolich
ST. LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 1968: Mickey Lolich #29 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1968 World Series in October 1968, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The Tigers won the series 4 games to 3. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Mickey Lolich was a huge piece of the 1968 world series champs, and he was a dominant pitcher. Winning the world series MVP trophy in 1968, he will forever be a major part of Tigers history.
Willie Hernandez
With 32 saves on 32 attempts during the 1984 World Series season, Willie Hernandez was the definition of “lights out”. When Willie took the mound, you knew it was over… for the other team. He was so dominant as a closer her won the AL MVP and the Cy Young award in 1984. Absolutely unheard of now days.
DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 14: Willie Hernandez of the Detroit Tigers is mobbed by teammates after World Series game five between the San Diego Padres and Detroit Tigers on October 14, 1984 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Padres 8-4. (Photo by Rich Pilling/Getty Images)
Justin Verlander
A 9 Time All-Star, AL MVP and 3-time Cy Young Award Winner. Justin Verlander was one of the most dominant pitchers in any era of baseball ever. He is still pitching for the Houston Astros currently. He has a world series win with Houston. But no matter how well he does in another town, the city of Detroit will always love Justin Verlander because he gave it his all for us each and every time he took the mound and left it all on the field. He even won the triple crown of pitching in 2011 while playing for Detroit.
DENVER, CO – AUGUST 30: Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a game at Coors Field on August 30, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Rich Pilling/Getty Images)
Max Scherzer
Max Scherzer has mixed reviews from fans looking back at his time with Detroit. But one thing is for certain, he was absolutely dominant. In Max’s best season in Detroit, he was 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and 240 strikeouts. He bet on himself in the end and got paid more by a team who gave him what he deserved. At the end of the day, Scherzer was big reason the team made it to the World Series in 2012.
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 02: Max Scherzer #37 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during Game One of the American League Division Series against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on October 2, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles defeated the Tigers 12-3. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
