Detroit Tigers

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Since their establishment as a major league franchise in 1901, the Tigers have won four World Series championships (1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984), 11 AL pennants (1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1945, 1968, 1984, 2006, 2012), and four AL Central division championships (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014). They also won division titles in 1972, 1984, and 1987 as a member of the AL East. Since 2000, the Tigers have played their home games at Comerica Park in Downtown Detroit. The Tigers constructed Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Avenue in Corktown just west of Downtown Detroit and began playing there in 1896. In 1912, the team moved into Navin Field, which was built on the same location. It was expanded in 1938 and renamed Briggs Stadium. It was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961 and the Tigers played there until 1999.

In Their Own Story

The summer of 2016 marked a dramatic turning point for Rick Porcello in Boston. After a difficult 2015 campaign that saw him falter early on, he found his rhythm and dominated the league. Leading the majors in wins, he secured the AL Cy Young Award, a milestone not reached by a Red Sox pitcher since Pedro Martínez. The significance of this achievement was underscored by his role in the team's 2018 World Series victory, where he started Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This success followed a turbulent start to his Boston tenure and a legendary beginning in Detroit. In 2009, at just 20 years old, Porcello was thrust into the spotlight as the youngest player in the American League. Manager Jim Leyland trusted him implicitly, choosing him to start the crucial AL Central tie-breaker game over seasoned veterans. Despite allowing two runs in that high-pressure matchup against Minnesota, he finished his debut season with 14 wins and a third-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting. From striking out 103 batters as a high school senior to becoming an ace in Boston, Porcello's path defined a specific era for both clubs.

Reader's Guide

From 1901 to 2025, the Tigers' overall win–loss record is 9,763–9,642–93 (.503). The franchise's best winning percentage was .656 in 1934, while its worst was .265 in 2003. The franchise record for most wins in a season is 104 in 1984, when the club won 35 of its first 40 games en route to the World Series championship.

Did You Know?

• The Tigers were the first major league team to have a mascot—a red tiger on a dark background—on their ballcap in 1901.
• Ty Cobb collected his 3,000th career hit on August 19, 1921, and remains the youngest player to reach that milestone.
• The 1915 Tigers outfield of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Bobby Veach is ranked by baseball historian Bill James as the greatest in baseball history.
• George Mullin pitched the franchise's first no-hitter on July 4, 1912, his 32nd birthday.